Eagles Must Focus on Rebuilding Secondary Through Draft Rather Than Free Agency

It’s no secret the Philadelphia Eagles need a nearly complete overhaul of their secondary. After finishing 32nd and 31st against the pass in consecutive years, the defensive backfield even takes precedence over the uncertainty under center.

Of course, talking about rebuilding the secondary is far easier than actually doing it. The fact of the matter is the Eagles need to replace as many as three starters, and people are expecting the pass defense to be fixed overnight. In other words, they’re supposed to go out and shop for new cornerbacks and a safety in free agency this offseason.

Yet while the Birds no doubt will dabble in the marketplace a little bit, both out of need and curiosity, it would be a mistake to go all-in on the free-agent route. If the team intends to solve this issue once and for all, the focus should be on building through the draft.

	YDS/GM	YDS/ATT	20+/40+	RATING
Stats	264.9	7.8	72/18	91.6
Rank	31st	t-27th	32nd/32nd	21st

The Eagles have already tried renovating the secondary with veterans. That’s how they wound up in this unfavorable position to begin with.

First, they spent an inordinate amount of money on Nnamdi Asomugha and paired him with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who came to Philly via trade. While that cornerback tandem didn’t rate among the league’s worst based on total yards through the air in 2012, it was an unmitigated disaster all the same and actually far worse in many respects.

So once head coach Chip Kelly arrived in 2013, it was on to free agents Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher on the outside. They were joined in the defensive backfield by Patrick Chung initially and Malcolm Jenkins in ’14 at safety.

With the exception of Jenkins, those purchases haven’t been met with success, either.

Now the team is looking to replace Fletcher and safety Nate Allen, both free agents themselves, as well as Williams possibly, who is entering the final year of his contract and could be a cap casualty. It’s too much to handle in one draft—especially if having a top pass defense in 2015 is the goal—but building through young talent is the way to go if the Eagles intend to break the ugly cycle.

Let’s be real about what free agency is. With few exceptions, it’s a collection of aging, overpriced veterans, many of whom were the product of a system or situation. There’s a reason most of these players are available.

That’s not to say younger quality players can’t be found as a rule, but seldom are you getting the best of the best in their prime on the open market, even unless you’re willing to pay through the nose.

The Eagles are in a position where they likely have to supplement their lineup with some talent through free agency. However, with few exceptions, they should be searching primarily for short-term solutions and use the draft to build the secondary properly.

For one thing, it’s less expensive. In theory, the Eagles will get a few years’ worth of starts from players on the rookie pay scale, and even if and when they go to re-sign their talent down the road, that’s usually cheaper than going after a free agent numerous teams are bidding on. Plus, the hope is the team can find and develop talent that is better than what’s on the market or at least fits better.

Again, this is not to be unrealistic and suggest the Eagles don’t need any help from free agency. If they rebuild their entire secondary that way, though, it’s bound to be a disaster, if not right away, within a couple years.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Eagles can attempt to avoid that scenario by using two or three of this year’s eight selections in the draft at cornerback and safety and really spark a rebuild. Otherwise, it could be just another offseason or two down the road before we’re contemplating how to replace the next batch of Bradley Fletchers and Cary Williamses.

No, Philadelphia will not field a top-flight pass defense next season this way. Then again, it likely will not anyway if it's rebuilt through free agency.

The draft will take longer, and despite finishing 10-6, there may not be much patience with the Eagles after missing out on the playoffs in Kelly's second season. That being said, as long as the secondary is in complete disarray, the Eagles aren't a legitimate contender anyway. Drop the quick fixes and do this job right.