Philadelphia Eagles to Sign Walter Thurmond: What to Make of Philly's Deal

Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles remain active this offseason with the signing of former Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants cornerback Walter Thurmond to a one-year contract.

Adam Schefter of ESPN originally reported the signing: 

(Update: Eagles confirm signing of Thurmond to a one-year contract.)

Kelly now adds the 10th player from Oregon, where he was the head coach from 2009 to 2012, with the signing of Thurmond.

The 27-year-old will reunite with his former Seahawks teammate as Philadelphia also inked Seattle cornerback Byron Maxwell to a six-year contract worth $63 million.

The Eagles secondary will look completely different next year as last year's starters, Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher, will be replaced with the addition of the two new cornerbacks signings.

The Eagles released Williams earlier in the week, and Fletcher hit the free-agent market following the 2014 season.

Both Thurmond and Maxwell were vital parts of Seattle’s successful Super Bowl XLVIII season. Maxwell featured primarily on the outside as the No. 2 cornerback, while Thurmond played as the nickel corner.

The Eagles' decision to change the look of their defensive secondary isn’t a shocker following a season where they ranked 31st in passing yards allowed, only ahead of the Atlanta Falcons. Philadelphia allowed 4,478 total yards through the air last season for an average of 265 yards per game, according to ESPN.com.

However, Thurmond’s long history of injuries remains a major concern.

The 5’11” corner suffered a season-ending injury with a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 of the 2014 season after signing just a one-year deal with the Giants. 

His injuries date back even further as he only appeared in 34 of a possible 64 games through his four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. Knee, hamstring and ankle injuries, along with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy in 2013, caused Thurmond’s absences.

ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi commented on the risks Kelly is taking by bringing in several players with health concerns:

Philadelphia’s offseason started with a bang as the team traded star running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo for a promising inside linebacker Kiko Alonso.

Alonso also played for Kelly at Oregon. The 24-year-old doesn’t come without some injury concerns as well though.

The former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up missed all of his second season for the Bills after tearing his ACL while working out last offseason. The second-round pick also suffered an ACL tear in 2010 causing him to miss the whole season for the Oregon.

On the first day of free agency, the Eagles and Rams swapped starting quarterbacks as Nick Foles heads to St. Louis and Sam Bradford joins Philadelphia.

Connections to the coaching staff continue as Bradford played under Pat Shurmur, current Eagles and former Rams offensive coordinator, in St. Louis for the 2010 season.

Once gain, this move by the Eagles head coach looks like a gamble. 

The former Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma is coming off back-to-back ACL tears in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Bradford suffered the first ACL tear halfway through the 2013 season, and then missed the entire 2014 season after suffering the same injury in a preseason game.

The first-overall pick’s future is still uncertain as he enters the last year of his contract and is set to make $13 million in 2015. 

Philadelphia’s addition of Thurmond is just the latest move in the major overhaul of the Eagles roster this offseason.

Kelly’s investment in players who contain both potential and red flags contributes to the head coach’s “Genius or Bust” offseason.