After all, they have plenty of depth at the position, with sixth-round pick JaCorey Shepherd showing promise as the slot corner.
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Shepherd went down midway through practice on Sunday as he pushed running back Darren Sproles out of bounds. “I don’t know if his foot got caught or what”. He stayed down for a few minutes before being carted off the field. But a torn hamstring lowered Shepherd’s draft stock.
The Eagles are off Monday, so head coach Chip Kelly isn’t likely to address the ramifications of the injury until Tuesday.
Will the Eagles’ new cornerbacks be better than last year’s group?
One of those players could be Jaylen Watkins, the Eagles’ fourth-round pick in 2014. He played in only four games as a rookie. First, realize that the Eagles use the nickel corneback on half (or less) of their defensive snaps.
Biggers has 31 career starts during the past five seasons in Washington and Tampa Bay. Both players are converted cornerbacks and have experience lining up in the slot.
Watkins, who’s 5-foot-11 and 194 pounds, said he has the size for the position that the Eagles want. Rowe is competing with Carroll to start.
The Eagles will now have to figure out how to go forward in the slot.
The other option is remaining in the base defense even against three-receiver sets and use Jenkins or Thurmond to cover the slot receiver.
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With Shepherd out, the Eagles will have an open roster spot once they place him on the season-ending injured reserve list.
