Philadelphia Eagles' Secondary Struggles Putting Nate Allen on the Hot Seat

Sometime in 2013, Nate Allen seemed to turn a corner. After three-and-a-half seasons of subpar play, Allen became downright competent, if not understatedly dependable, almost overnight. The Philadelphia Eagles dabbled in free agency, but ultimately re-signed Allen to a one-year contract.

So far, the veteran safety has not rewarded his employer’s loyalty. Blown assignments are once again the rule of the day for the 2010 second-round pick, the latest costing his team a victory in Arizona—and perhaps Allen his job.

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer blew the top off of Philadelphia’s defense with a go-ahead 85-yard touchdown pass to speedy rookie John Brown with 1:21 remaining in the fourth quarter Sunday. Allen and cornerback Cary Williams were in coverage on the play, allegedly. The wide receiver ran right past both.

Allen accepted the blame in the locker room after the game, explaining to PhiladelphiaEagles.com, "They hit us with a double move. I just got sucked up. That was it.”

YEAR	TKL	SK	INT	FF
2014	34	1.0	0	1
2013	82	1.0	1	1
2012	73	0.0	0	0
2011	59	0.0	2	0
2010	48	2.0	3	1

That was very admirable of Allen, but saying sorry won’t help him stay in the lineup. This latest mishap comes on the heels of a Pro Football Talk report that claims the Eagles are seeking a “starting-caliber safety” as the NFL trade deadline approaches at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday—and I don’t think that’s to replace Malcolm Jenkins.

Assuming there is any validity to that story, the search may be about to intensify. Allen has had notable lapses throughout the season, each more ghastly than the last.

On opening day against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it was a 21-yard touchdown for Allen Hurns. In Week 3 versus Washington, it was an 81-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson.

The Eagles won both of those games, though. It was a lot easier to forgive and forget.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

That being said, it’s unclear how realistic a trade is. A swap requires another team to make a starting-caliber safety available. That player must also fit both with Philadelphia’s scheme and philosophies. And the position being as cerebral as it is, how many could honestly be expected to fill in seamlessly at the drop of a hat?

The options don’t look a lot better behind Allen, either. 2013 fifth-round pick Earl Wolff was expected to battle the incumbent for the starting job this summer, but the competition never truly materialized.

Put another way, Allen might be the lesser of two evils.

In all likelihood, the Eagles are stuck with Allen in the secondary for the time being. Rather than spend the entire time tearing him down, perhaps we should search for reasons to feel optimistic.

To be fair, Allen also made his best individual play of the season in the loss to the Cardinals, ripping the ball out of the hands of shifty running back Andre Ellington and recovering the fumble himself. It was the type of impact play we’ve seldom seen over the 26-year-old’s career.

	YDS/GM	40+	TD	RATING
Stats	266.9	9	15	93.9
Rank	26th	t-28th	t-26th	20th

Then again, maybe that only serves to further highlight the problem. Allen could get away with posting a line of one sack, one forced fumble and one interception in 2013 as long as he brought stability to the back end of the defense. The occasional big play tends to be overshadowed, however, when opponents are hitting on 80-yarders with regularity.

It was easy to make excuses for Allen in the past. A torn patellar tendon sustained as a rookie may have lingered into year two, and there isn’t a safety alive who would’ve looked serviceable in Philadelphia’s 2012 defense.

This year is the first time Allen has had the same defensive coordinator for two full seasons in a row, though. He’s supposed to be improving, not regressing. So far, that hasn’t been the case.

Clearly, there wasn’t an overwhelming amount of confidence in Allen for the Eagles to only offer one year during free agency. Now we see why. While I wouldn’t count on a blockbuster deal before the deadline, or even Wolff taking over—yet—Allen’s days might be numbered in Philadelphia.

In the meantime, the club needs Allen to snap out of it and act like a proper last line of defense, because finally his mistakes are starting to cost his team games.