Jonathan Gannon “comfortable” with current Eagles cornerbacks

Throughout the offseason, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the Eagles’ CB2 position opposite Darius Slay. New Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon spoke with the media Thursday afternoon and was asked about the team’s current cornerback depth. Gannon showed faith in his young secondary, comparing the current roster to his past projects in Rock Ya-Sin and Kenny Moore:
“I’m very comfortable with that room right now. I love the youth because it’s like you can mold them how you want to mold them.”
When I got to Indy, we had a bunch of young guys. It was awesome. It makes the job super fun because certain guys, certain vets, kind of stuck in their ways of, hey, I want to play this way.
Well, if that’s not the best thing for the defense, we don’t want you to play that way. So I think for our guys, they’ve done a good job of understanding what we’re doing to help those guys play.”
Outside of Darius Slay, the Eagles don’t have much experience at corner. Avonte Maddox struggled in his first year outside the slot in 2020 and the remaining players are unproven:
- Zech McPhearson
- Kevon Seymour
- Avonte Maddox
- Craig James
- Michael Jacquet
- Lavert Hill
- Shakial Taylor
Gannon did say that the defense isn’t going to “box itself in a scheme” and stated that every player is different, so it seems as though he will gameplan around what suits the team best. It isn’t “my way or the highway” with this coaching staff and that’s certainly refreshing to see.
Guys like Steven Nelson and Richard Sherman are still available, so we’ll have to see if the Eagles bring in another veteran for the 2021 season or leave it up to Gannon to develop his young talent.
Tune in live as Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon speaks to the media OTAs. https://t.co/pAl4HsocoE
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 20, 2021
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke | USA TODAY Sports
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