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It was no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles were going to blow up their secondary at the end of last season. Stuck with a poor starting lineup and really no other choices to replace them, Eagles fans could do nothing but dig their nails into their armrests and pray the team could win despite them.
Fast forward to today and the Eagles find themselves stocked with options. Free agency and the draft brought in a bunch of new players, all young and versatile enough to play a number of positions. The starting cornerback situation seems to be resolved with Byron Maxwell and Eric Rowe, but the second safety position next to Malcolm Jenkins is still up in the air. Out of everyone left, Jaylen Watkins is the player best suited to be that final starter.
Taken in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Watkins came to the Eagles with experience playing all over the field. His speed, fluidity and excellence in zone coverage made him look like he could potentially make a quick impact on the roster. But Watkins found himself on the bench most of the year, only dressing for four games and leaving Eagles fans wondering why he couldn’t break the lineup.
Now that I look back on it, I think the Eagles red-shirted Watkins last year in anticipation of moving him to safety full time. He was pretty thin and had to bulk up, which he reportedly has done with 10 extra pounds of muscle on his frame. And there’s really no other reason why they wouldn’t have tried him out last year — Nate Allen, Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher were so bad a Watkins experiment couldn’t have possibly gone worse. But keeping him on the bench makes sense if you see him as a serious potential replacement. There’s no need to risk an injury, especially if he needs the weight.
Also, if you look at the depth chart right now, Watkins really is the best option the Eagles have. Earl Wolff may never get healthy again at this point, and Chris Prosinski and Chris Maragos are really both full-time special teamers. Jerome Couplin is a practice-squad prospect who isn’t ready to start yet. The only other viable challenge for Watkins would be Rowe, but with his size and press-coverage skills, he’s needed more at cornerback. Rowe also doesn’t have the year of studying that Watkins has.
I know Eagles fans are debating over who that second starter should be. But for me it’s not even a choice; Watkins needs to be that second starting safety in 2015. That’s where he’s of the most use to the Eagles and where he can make the most impact on this team. Give him the job and don’t think twice about it. Let the battle really be over who will be his backup.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
