Why Brandon Boykin Needs to Start Taking Cary Williams' Snaps

The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0 for the first time since their 2004 Super Bowl season, and Chip Kelly’s offense is thriving under third-year quarterback Nick Foles. The Eagles have made an art of the come-from-behind win, as they’re the first team in NFL history to win their first three games despite trailing by at least 10 in every contest.

What could prevent a deep postseason run, though, is the defense. Coordinator Billy Davis did a phenomenal job of incorporating the 3-4 scheme a year ago, molding the unit into a bend-but-don’t-break defense that rated 29th in yards allowed but a solid 17th in points.

This year, the team is 26th in both categories, and the defense seems to have gotten progressively worse in each game.

After allowing 17 points to the Jacksonville Jaguars (all in the first half), the Eagles allowed 27 to the Indianapolis Colts and 34 to the Washington Redskins. The front seven isn’t pressuring the quarterback and the team failed to slow down Trent Richardson (!) in Week 2.

But much of the blame for the defense can be cast on the secondary, and perhaps no player epitomizes those struggles more than Cary Williams.

Following Sunday’s tremendous win over the Redskins, Williams spoke like a player from a losing team. Per Andy Schwartz of CSNPhilly.com, Williams said:

"

I'm burnt out. Burnt out. I'm not the only guy that feels burnt out. I'm just a guy that's man enough to stand up for players and just say that we're burnt out. 

My legs hurt. My legs were done in the fourth quarter. My legs were done in the third quarter. My legs were done before the game started.

"

Williams was clearly frustrated that he was beat by ex-teammate DeSean Jackson on an 81-yard touchdown (didn’t we all see that one coming?), and he admitted later that he let his anger get the best of him.

For the game, Williams was targeted 10 times, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He allowed seven completions for 98 yards. He wasn’t officially charged with Jackson’s touchdown (Nate Allen was supposed to provide safety help, but Jackson just ran past both players, as would be expected). Still, that’s a 101.3 passer rating allowed, and that won’t help a team win many games.

Williams also had an opportunity to wrap Jackson up after his catch but couldn’t bring his former teammate down. In all, not a good day for Williams.

NFL Game Rewind

The context of Williams’ comments—that the Eagles are gassed during the game from intense practices during the week—couldn’t be more laughable; logically, it seems Philadelphia is able to wear down its opponents because of the head coach’s unique commitment to fitness and conditioning.

Regardless of what Williams said, the Eagles need to find ways to minimize Williams’ playing time because right now he’s hurting the team. If Williams finds himself too tired on game day, perhaps Kelly should give him an unpaid day off next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

Currently, Williams heads a secondary that rates second-to-last in touchdown passes allowed, and Williams himself has surrendered the third-most passing yards in the game, per PFF.

A year ago, Williams was 10th among cornerbacks (subscription required) in yards allowed (805), but his peripheral statistics were much better. He was the second-most targeted corner (subscription required), which means he allowed just 6.88 yards per attempt and a very respectable 59.0 completion percentage.

That’s a better completion percentage surrendered (subscription required) than that of 2013 Pro Bowlers Brent Grimes or Brandon Flowers, and it rated Williams in the middle of the pack across the league wide.

I was a frequent defender of Williams, a former seventh-round pick and Super Bowl champion who has been a career overachiever.

After famously missing spring OTAs with his new team in 2013, Williams shut down receptions leader Pierre Garcon in Week 1 and made a diving interception in the Eagles’ opening day win.

For the season, Williams allowed just three total catches in two games to Garcon. He shut down Dwayne Bowe in Week 3. He matched up very well against Calvin Johnson in the Snow Bowl. And he got the best of the duo of Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald in Week 13.

The problem is that Williams is too inconsistent to be anything more than a stop-gap.

Williams is also holding back a special talent in Brandon Boykin, a third-year player who has flashed the ability to be an absolute star in this league.

Davis has been extremely reluctant to play Boykin on the outside, stating before that he likes both Boykin’s speed and quickness on the inside to match up with smaller slot receivers. It makes sense given that Boykin is just 5’9”, but there comes a point when he needs to get his opportunity to play against the best receivers.

Boykin’s game-preserving knockdown against the Redskins was a thing of beauty, but it was also the kind of play that Eagles fans have grown accustomed to seeing from Boykin.

A year ago, Boykin’s six interceptions were more than any NFL cornerback except Richard Sherman, and remarkably, all six of those came from the slot. Per PFF, the next-highest interception total by a cornerback in the slot was Denver’s Chris Harris with three.

So there’s the proof that Boykin really does excel in the slot.

But the numbers also don’t lie, and Davis has to know he can’t keep winning ballgames with Williams on the outside (or Bradley Fletcher, for that matter).

PFF’s numbers reveal Williams is allowing a 110.8 passer rating; the only cornerbacks to have allowed more yards are Byron Maxwell (plays opposite Sherman, hence the high number of targets) and Morris Claiborne, a 2012 first-round draft pick who just walked out on his team after getting benched.

The Eagles put up with Williams in ’13 because there weren’t many other options. Williams was fairly cheap in free agency and was an experienced veteran. He played over his head all season and allowed just an 80.9 passer rating, this after being at 98.4 in ’12. That’s exactly what Philadelphia wanted.

But the emergence of Boykin puts Williams’ future in doubt; that, and the fact that Williams is set to make $8.1 million in 2015. If Williams’ salary didn’t already suggest he’s in his final season in Philly, his comments this past Sunday likely sealed the deal.

Opposite Williams, free-agent-to-be Fletcher is getting lit up, too; he’s been targeted the second-most times (30) of any corner in the league, a clear sign that quarterbacks aren’t afraid to challenge him.

So why not work Boykin in as an outside corner every now and then?

Boykin seems to respond every time he’s given the opportunity, but inexplicably, like Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry, he doesn’t receive the playing time he should.

Boykin appeared in just 51 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in 2013. This year has been even lower, and by a significant margin.

"

Boykin's 27 snaps yesterday were his most this year. He's played 71 of 223 defensive snaps - 32 percent. Was 51 percent last year.

— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) September 22, 2014"

When he does play, Boykin is allowing just a 52.9 completion percentage and 62.6 passer rating. He’s been targeted 17 times and allowed 67 yards; that’s a ridiculous 3.9 yards-per-attempt average that ranks fifth-best among the 83 qualifying cornerbacks (minimum 10 targets).

So it’s beyond puzzling that the Eagles have rewarded Boykin’s tremendous play by playing him less, while Williams and Fletcher, rated third and sixth respectively, play at the cornerback position (this after Williams rated first in 2013).

Pro Football Focus

Are the Eagles minimizing Boykin’s playing time so they don’t have to pay him big money? Do they really like Williams and Fletcher? Do they feel Boykin's size would expose him on the outside?

Kelly is a smart head coach and Davis is a smart defensive coordinator, so sooner or later the two will have to realize the true value of a cover corner like Boykin.

He’s not just a good nickel cornerback; if given the opportunity, there’s a chance he could develop into a true shutdown corner in this league.

Let’s hope the Eagles start easing in Boykin in the coming weeks, because he makes an impact every time he plays, and he may be what Philadelphia needs to get its defense back on track.

All cornerback statistics are per Pro Football Focus's website, subscription required.