5 offseason moves Eagles need to make to return to playoffs

4. Let Ronald Darby walk

Ronald Darby entered the NFL as an immediate shutdown corner for the Buffalo Bills, but he looked like anything but a top cornerback in his third season with the team. He ended up hitting the injured reserve list after 11 games, and although he led the team with 11 passes defended, he was frequently burned for long touchdowns.

Per Pro Football Reference, Darby allowed six touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 116.8 into his coverage. Those are embarrassing numbers for a top cornerback. Darby regularly missed tackles and made too few big plays (two interceptions) to make up for his errors).

While past data suggests Darby could bounce back in his age-27 season and should be easy to re-sign financially, it’s best for him and the team to move on. Darby needs a change in scenery, and the Eagles need to sign cornerbacks who are either better at the catch point or better at creating big plays. He was Marcus Peters without the pick-sixes this season, and that’s not a compliment.

3. Keep Rodney McLeod

The bedrock of the Eagles defense is the defensive line – led by the incomparable Fletcher Cox – but Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod are the unsung heroes.

It’s hard to find a better veteran safety duo in the NFL than McLeod and Jenkins, who are true playmakers. They are consistent, hard-hitters with a nose for the football, and they set the tone for the rest of the defense as leaders. McLeod and Jenkins have seen it all, and while Jenkins is the better of the two, McLeod is a few years younger and also a great safety.

McLeod’s contract will expire this offseason, and the Eagles need to do whatever they can, within reason, to keep him. He and Jenkins both allowed QB Ratings below 80.0 in 2019, and this statistic is remarkable in McLeod’s case since he was often tasked with cleaning up for the corners.