THE EAGLES have a whole group of young cornerbacks they like, so the season-ending right ACL tear suffered Sunday by JaCorey Shepherd definitely can be overcome.
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The injury occurred during Sunday’s practice when Shepherd and running back Darren Sproles ran into each other.
With Boykin traded on the eve of training camp, Shepherd moved up to his role in the nickel package.
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Shepherd, a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in last spring’s NFL Draft, wowed the Philly coaches with his development and production throughout the offseason. Not even a week after the Eagles traded Brandon Boykin to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Shepherd got hurt. Thurmond is also an interesting choice as the Eagles would like to put him at safety. Boykin was entering the final year of his contract and was unlikely to re-sign due to his frustration with his lack of playing time under Kelly. He has started 31 games in his career, and has four interceptions. The Eagles liked Shepherd a lot based on video from his senior year at Kansas. In today’s league, talented slot receivers are more abundant than in prior years. Biggers has appeared in 76 games as a professional, including 31 starts. After all, they have plenty of depth at the position, with sixth-round pick JaCorey Shepherd showing promise as the slot corner. But a torn hamstring lowered Shepherd’s draft stock. It was the rookies’ performance during OTAs and minicamp that convinced Kelly and his staff that they had enough depth to part with Boykin. The Eagles are off Monday, and Kelly isn’t scheduled to address the media until Tuesday. The Eagles want him on the outside, and that’s where he’ll stay. It could be Carroll who moves to the inside, but Billy Davis has been adamant about moving him inside – same with Rowe. “I thought it was good for me being at the nickel spot”.
