It was a memorable year — in a bad way — for the secondary of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles had the second-worst passing defense in the NFL during the regular season, surrendering 252.7 yards per game through the air. Philly’s defense also gave up 25.2 points per game, ranked 30th out of 32 teams. Now, one analyst thinks the Eagles should add a cornerback in free agency who also struggled in 2023: Michael Davis of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report listed Davis as one of Philly’s best options at the position in free agency, particularly considering the team’s limited salary cap.
“There are issues everywhere, but the Eagles need to look at adding talent in the secondary. From a financial perspective, it’s going to be difficult to justify letting go of James Bradberry and Darius Slay. They both have too much guaranteed money and years left on their contract to release or even trade. However, Bradberry gave up a 114.3 passer rating and was even worse than that against the Buccaneers. It’s time for new blood in the secondary,” Ballentine wrote, before making a case for adding Davis.
Would CB Michael Davis Be Worth Pursuing for Eagles?
“The Eagles are going to have limited options in free agency when it comes to this position,” Ballentine wrote, in reference to Philly’s CBs. “However, taking a shot on a veteran coming off a rough season could end up offering tremendous value. When the Eagles acquired Bradberry, he was coming off a terrible season with the Giants.”
Bradberry had a great season in 2022, getting named a second-team All-Pro. But his performance slipped big-time in 2023. That doesn’t mean Davis will follow a similar trajectory, however.
A seven-year NFL vet, Davis has spent his entire career with the Chargers. In 17 games this season (13 starts), Davis amassed 62 total tackles (3 for loss, a career high), 10 pass breakups and an interception. Those aren’t bad numbers, but, as Ballentine notes, his coverage stats weren’t good.
“Michael Davis is coming off a similarly bad year with the Los Angeles Chargers,” Ballentine added. “He surrendered over 800 yards receiving and a passer rating of 119.2 The year before, he gave up just 337 yards on 70 targets and a passer rating of 66.2. If he returns to that form, he’s going to be a bargain for someone this offseason.”
The 6-foot-2, 196-pound Davis also played very well in 2020, when he finished with 64 total tackles (2 TFLs), 14 PBUs and 3 interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.
Eagles’ Outlook at CB Is Bleak Heading Into 2024 Offseason
Led by veteran starters Darius Slay and James Bradberry, the Eagles’ CBs underwhelmed more often than not in 2023. That said, Slay was easily the best of the team’s corners.
Per PFF, quarterbacks had an 82.3 passer rating when targeting Slay, which was the second-best on the team among CBs who played at least 200 coverage snaps (Bradley Roby’s 70.1 rating when targeted was first). Slay also had a team-high 14 PBUs and 2 INTs, running one of those back for a touchdown.
The Eagles won’t cut both Bradberry and Slay — they’ll likely keep the two of them due to their respective contracts. Slay has a dead cap hit over $35 million, while Bradberry’s dead cap hit is over $17 million (numbers via Spotrac), making the latter the more likely cut.
Spotrac has Davis’ projected market value at $2.3 million per year, so he would be a bargain veteran addition with some definite upside.
Whether the team elects to keep Bradberry or let him go, bringing in competition at the corner position is necessary and will surely happen this offseason.
