October 03, 2023
The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to sign cornerback Bradley Roby, according to a report from Jordan Schultz. To be determined if he signed to the 53-man roster or the practice squad.
Update: Roby will join the practice squad, get acclimated physically and mentally, and then it is expected that he will eventually be elevated to the 53.
Roby, 31, played for five seasons (2014-2018) with the Broncos, two seasons (2019-2020) with the Texans, and two seasons (2021-2022) with the Saints. In 2022, he played in 13 games for the Saints, and started 10. He had 36 tackles and 5 pass breakups. According to PFF, he played 306 snaps in the slot, where the Eagles are desperate for help.
With Avonte Maddox out with a torn pectoral muscle and Zech McPhearson having torn an Achilles during the preseason, the Eagles have lost their top two slot corners. They have tried a few different things at slot corner over the last three games.
• In Week 2 against the Vikings, the game during which Maddox got hurt, 2022 undrafted signing Mario Goodrich filled in directly.
• In Week 3 against the Buccaneers, James Bradberry shifted inside in nickel, and Josh Jobe played outside. The Eagles also mixed in rookie safety Sydney Brown in the slot.
• In Week 4 against the Commanders, Brown did not play because of hamstring injury, and Bradberry mostly played in the slot in nickel. In fact, only five defensive backs played at all against Washington, compared with seven against the Bucs, nine against the Vikings, and seven against the Patriots. The defensive staff clearly does not trust Goodrich, who might have made some sense against the Commanders' smallish receivers.
Bradberry is an unselfish team-first player, so he has embraced a role in the slot, but ultimately his value is on the outside because he is a far better player than Jobe. His presence in the slot was always going to be a temporary solution only. The Eagles need a true slot corner, plain and simple, because they didn't have one.
Roby will get a look in the slot, for now, but it's also likely that the team will continue to look for additional options as the October 31 trade deadline approaches.
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