Next up in our ongoing series of position-by-position review is cornerback ...
2011 In Review:
After a flurry of moves in August, cornerback became the most watched position of the 2011 Eagles season. First, the team traded quarterback Kevin Kolb to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a 2012 second-round pick. Then, while the league assumed the Eagles were content pairing Rodgers-Cromartie with fellow Pro Bowler Asante Samuel, the Eagles swooped in and shocked the NFL by signing All-Pro Nnamdi Asomugha, the prize free agent on the market. Immediately, the team had an embarrassment of riches at the position, when factoring in steady nickel corner Joselio Hanson and intriguing youngsters in Brandon Hughes and third-round rookie Curtis Marsh. The question became, how would the Eagles utilize their three Pro Bowlers?
Samuel remained entrenched in his left cornerback spot while Nnamdi Asomugha took over on the right side, though he would be utilized all over the field early on, particularly on opposing tight end threats. That left the uber-athletic Rodgers-Cromartie to man the inside, a position he hadn't yet played in the NFL. Admittedly, Rodgers-Cromartie took some time adjusting to the position, though he appeared to be playing his best in the nickel when he suffered a high ankle sprain in the Eagles' ninth game of the season, a loss to Rodgers-Cromartie's former Cardinals. That injury left Rodgers-Cromartie on the sidelines for the three games and opened the way for Hanson, 30, to slide back into his normal position, where he remained for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Rodgers-Cromartie took over at left cornerback for the final two games of the season while Samuel was out with a hamstring injury. In those games, Rodgers-Cromartie showed why he was a Pro Bowler in 2009, as he showcased his all-world speed in shutting down the Cowboys and Redskins receivers.
Samuel, meanwhile, had a typically strong season, though the notorious ballhawk did only record three interceptions on the year (though one was returned for a touchdown), the first time Samuel has had that few interceptions since 2005. In coverage though, Samuel excelled. According to ProFootballFocus, 49 cornerbacks played at least 800 (Samuel played 828) snaps in 2011. Of those 49, Samuel easily allowed the fewest yards of completion (296). In fact, only Cortland Finnegan of the Tennessee Titans allowed a smaller average per completion, 8.8 to Samuel's 10.2. And according to Football Outsiders, Samuel's 67 percent success rate ranked fifth among all cornerbacks.
As for Asomugha, his debut season in Philadelphia featured a few early mistakes, but on the whole he too was outstanding. Just consider how seldom opposing offenses chose to throw in Asomugha's direction. We'll expand the ProFootballFocus sample this time to the 56 cornerbacks who played at least 700 snaps (Asomugha played 955) and of those, Asomugha was targeted by far the fewest times. Teams chose to throw in Asomugha's direction a paltry 47 times. Now, his averages are admittedly down because they're skewed by the allowance of a few big plays, notably the two long touchdowns by Victor Cruz in the Week 3 Giants game, but, anecdotally, it was easy to see Asomugha improving as the season went along and he got comfortable in the scheme.
As for Marsh and Hughes, as well as 2010 fourth-round pick Trevard Lindley who was re-signed when the season ended, the on-field experience was brief, but the future remains bright.
So the individual performances by the cornerbacks were quite strong. And yet, in total, the numbers were disappointing. After the offseason of upgrades, the Eagles pass defense ranked 19th in opposing quarterback rating, 16th in yards allowed per pass, 24th in touchdowns allowed and only 17th in interceptions. Head coach Andy Reid and the Eagles brass were certainly not happy with those totals, and, as a result, secondary/cornerback coach Johnnie Lynn was not retained when the season ended. Moving forward, there are plenty of questions about how the Eagles cornerback situation will form in 2012, but there's no question that the pieces are in place for the Eagles to have a top notch secondary.
End Of Season Depth Chart
LCB: 1. Asante Samuel 2. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 3. Curtis Marsh
RCB: 1. Nnamdi Asomugha 2. Joselio Hanson 3. Brandon Hughes
Impressive Stat:
Only three players in the NFL (Ed Reed, Charles Woodson, and Champ Bailey) have more career interceptions than Samuel's 45.
Questions To Be Answered:
The big question is obvious: will the Eagles chose to bring back all three Pro Bowl cornerbacks? Asomugha, 30, is signed through the 2015 season while Rodgers-Cromartie, only 25, and Samuel, 31, are signed through the 2012 season. Speculation abounded back in August that the team would look to trade Samuel, but that proved untrue. That's where the noise will persist in the offseason, surrounding Samuel, but the possibility still remains that all three will return.
If one of the big three cornerbacks ends up elsewhere, the nickel spot will again be of interest. Hanson is as reliable as they come in the position, but the team could use a player of the future to mold there – which could be where Marsh comes in. Marsh, a former collegiate running back, was said to be more of a project when he was drafted, but he should be ready to make an impact next season. He spoke often about the value of watching his three Pro Bowl position-mates, and he will be a player to watch come the spring and summer.
