Howie Roseman addresses Eagles’ needs in secondary after NFL Draft: ‘We just have to keep working’

The Philadelphia Eagles made gigantic steps this offseason in emerging as a serious contender for the NFC East title. General manager Howie Roseman used his draft capital to acquire A.J. Brown, while selecting Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean in the same draft last month — filling plenty of positions that needed improvement on the roster. 

While the Eagles improved their team, they still have some holes on the roster that need to be filled. Philadelphia needs some work in the secondary, an issue Roseman plans to address this offseason if the front office can make it work.  

“We’re always going to come out of a draft with some positions where people are going to go, ‘I wish they were a little better here,'” Roseman said on JAKIB Media’s Sports Take Wednesday. “The world championship team this year will have some issues right now.

“We just have to keep working. We’re in a better spot than we were. We took a down year, an embarrassing year a few years ago, and we’ll keep building. We’re trying to get back into a position where we have that kind of fun again.” 

Philadelphia has Darius Slay at one of the outside cornerback spots and Avonte Maddox in the slot. The cornerback spot opposite slay remains open with Steven Nelson’s departure to the Houston Texans. The Eagles have internal candidates in Zech McPhearson, Tay Gowan, Kary Vincent Jr., and undrafted free agents Mario Goodrich and Josh Jobe competing for the spot. James Bradberry, Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, Kevin King, Joe Haden, and Kyle Fuller are the top options available on the open market.

The Eagles resigned Anthony Harris at safety and Marcus Epps is the favorite to start opposite him. K’Von Wallace is a candidate for one of the starting jobs while Andre Chachere will also provide depth at the position. The free agent market for safeties isn’t as deep, with Landon Collins and Jaquiski Tartt as the top options available. 

There’s some work that needs to be done in the secondary. As Roseman reminded everyone, the Eagles traded for Ronald Darby in August of the Super Bowl year (2017) — so there’s time to find a player who’s available.