Philadelphia Eagles Still Unsettled at Cornerback After Free-Agent Haul

To his credit, head coach Chip Kelly knew the Philadelphia Eagles couldn't go on with Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher as their starting cornerbacks.

Williams was released, Fletcher's contract was allowed to expire and the two of them were replaced by Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond III via free agency.

Yet despite throwing big bucks at the position during the offseason, cornerback is far from a settled position for the Birds. Both Maxwell and Thurmond come with plenty of question marks of their own, while Philadelphia still has just two of its corners signed beyond 2015.

Regardless of your feelings on the new additions, it's impossible to overlook the looming need.

Only Maxwell and 2014 fourth-round pick Jaylen Watkins have contracts that run beyond this season. Thurmond, Brandon Boykin and Nolan Carroll can all become free agents next year, which would leave the Eagles awfully thin out there.

Obviously, the team will be forced to address the potential exodus at the draft, which was likely always part of the plan. However, it is a little worrisome that spending the kind of money the Eagles have didn't go further.

As of right now, the defense doesn't even have two convincing starters.

YR	GMS	PD	INT
2014	2	0	0
2013	12	6	1
2012	2	0	0
2011	6	2	0
2010	14	7	0

Thurmond is a nice player when he's on the field, which is rare. The former Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants corner has appeared in 27 of 71 possible regular-season and playoff games over the past four seasons. The rest of the time, he's either been injured or suspended.

Even if Thurmond suits up, the majority of his NFL experience has been lining up in the slot—not as a No. 2 cornerback on the outside.

Fletcher was horrendous in 2014, but there's very little frame of reference to suggest that Thurmond will be better or that he'll even play. Thurmond is set to earn $3.25 million on his one-year deal, which isn't exactly cheap for somebody with his track record.

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Meanwhile, Kelly did mention that Boykin and Carroll could compete with Thurmond for the job during the head coach's press conference.

Then again, that doesn't instill much confidence, either, as neither player could beat out Fletcher last year. Carroll did eventually get the start in Week 17 but didn't fare much better.

I know what a lot of you are probably thinking right now. At least the Eagles solidified the other side with Maxwell, a true No. 1 corner.

Except Maxwell has been vastly overvalued by a franchise desperate for help in the secondary, not to mention a fanbase that loves name recognition. He's a quality addition to be sure, one who was surrounded by All-Pro talent in a historically great Seahawks defense that propelled the franchise to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

Statistically speaking, Maxwell was closer to middle of the pack than elite in 2014. According to Pro Football Focus, the 27-year-old tied for 25th out of 73 cornerbacks in opponents' passer rating last season. To put that in perspective, Williams ranked 38th.

It's not because Maxwell was being targeted so much more than other corners around the league, either. In fact, he finished the season 49th in that department. Williams ranked ninth.

YR	GMS/STARTS	PD	INT
2014	13/12	12	2
2013	16/5	12	4
2012	9/0	3	0
2011	9/0	0	0

None of which is to say Williams is a better cornerback than Maxwell. Maxwell is bigger, more physical, possesses more upside and has the versatility to line up outside or in the slot. Seattle plays a similar defensive scheme to Philadelphia, so he should have little trouble fitting right in.

But with a six-year contract worth as much as $63 million, Maxwell is being paid like a shutdown corner despite evidence to the contrary.

With only 17 career starts in the NFL, Maxwell isn't even a proven, established player yet.

The structure of Maxwell's deal allows for the Eagles to get out from under it in as little as two years if necessary, but that only raises more questions. That's just one more defensive back who may not be here a short time from now.

It's probably fair to say the Eagles are better off with Maxwell than Williams. It's also probably fair to say the defense is better off with just about anybody other than Fletcher.

Philadelphia ranked 32nd and 31st against the pass in consecutive seasons with Williams and Fletcher on the outside, so it's hard to argue either one will be missed.

With that said, while the Eagles may have upgraded their secondary from the pitiful state it was in, it remains far from a picture of stability—much less fixed. This isn't even getting into the safety position, which lacks a clear-cut starter alongside Malcolm Jenkins.

The Eagles will undoubtedly continue to bolster their cornerback depth in the coming draft, possibly still as early as in the first round.

Simply put, between the uncertainty of the contract situations to the uncertainty of the talent on the roster, there's not a lot here that can truly be counted on.

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.