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It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles are in the midst of a rather extreme overhaul in their secondary. Many pieces were shipped out and many new pieces were brought in with a clear emphasis on flexibility and positional versatility. So in short time, the Eagles went from a lack of options to a logjam that they must figure out in the upcoming weeks. But even with those numbers to figure out, the Eagles would be smart to explore the option of signing the recently released safety-linebacker hybrid Taylor Mays.
Typically it’s a pretty big red flag when a player gets released by a head coach who was his defensive coordinator beforehand. But in Mays’ case to the Eagles, that might not matter too much. When Mays was taken in the second round of the 2010 draft, he went to San Francisco with the expectation of being a playmaker. Clearly it didn’t pan out too well for him there after the coaching change and shift in defensive philosophy. Mays developed into a respectable backup and solid special teamer in Cincinnati, and then chose to attempt a run at starting elsewhere. But Minnesota has a deep enough defense such that a guy like Mays never really had a shot of cracking the lineup. I guess I don’t see his release from there necessarily as a knock against his skill; it could be the team giving Mays a shot to catch on somewhere else.
That somewhere could easily be in Philadelphia. Safety and outside linebacker are the two positions on defense the Eagles could use bodies for. Mays probably wouldn’t be a serious starting candidate at either position, but he could be valuable as a serviceable depth option. His size/speed combination and versatility would fit what the defense is all about, especially his ability to play deep centerfield. Plus, his special teams prowess would certainly mesh in well with the excellent unit the Eagles currently have. And certainly not to be overlooked, Mays is a team-first guy with a good attitude that you know Chip Kelly would want.
The catch is that since Mays is a deep cover safety who can also play the run well, it does make it somewhat easy to diagnose what his duties are on any given play. Deep in centerfield, Mays is good. Up near the line against the run, Mays is good. Anywhere in between and he can be a liability in coverage. Billy Davis would have to find a way to minimize Mays’ deficiencies, but really that is required for any backup who is seeing extended time. If Davis didn’t have to, Mays would be a stud player somewhere with a long-term contract.
All things considered, Mays wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world for the Eagles. Insurance is never a bad thing to have. For the basement-level price it would take to get him, I think the Eagles need to bring him in and see what he’s got.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
