At one point this season, when the Eagles were at their lowest point, the jokes about the team's secondary were easy to make.
They were playing terrible. They were injured. They were signing guys off the street and starting them the next game.
Although that reputation has been hard to shake, the reality is this — the days of Dexter McDougle, Devante Bausby and Chandon Sullivan playing in the Eagles' secondary are over.
Instead, the Eagles defensive backs have turned into not only a solid unit, but one that has played a huge role in the defense turning things around in the second half of the season, and a unit that should give the Eagles hope heading into Sunday's playoff matchup with the New Orleans Saints.
A major reason for the turnaround in the secondary has been the improvement of Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox and Cre'veon LeBlanc, young players the team can also build around going forward.
LeBlanc's emergence has been the biggest surprise. Claimed off of waivers when he was released by the Chicago Bears, LeBlanc quickly took over at nickel cornerback and has improved consistently since joining the team. LeBlanc has played so well that he has made cornerback Sidney Jones almost a forgotten man, and even if Jones were to fully recover from his hamstring injury in time for Sunday, there is little question that LeBlanc would hold onto the job. LeBlanc played a huge role in the defense's dominating performance against the Bears, and made one of the most impressive plays of the game when he ripped the ball out of receiver Anthony Miller's hands to force an incompletion near the goal line.
Since Week 12, LeBlanc has been on the field in coverage for close to 200 snaps. He has allowed just 21 catches and zero touchdowns.
Douglas' turnaround has been perhaps the most impressive, however, considering his struggles earlier on in the season. Forced into a starting role due to injuries to both Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby, Douglas struggled at first, especially in man coverage. Even his tackling, something that has never been an issue with Douglas, was subpar.
Over the last month, however, Douglas has arguably been the best tackler on the team and has made a number of huge plays. Opposing offenses have consistently tried to attack Douglas' side of the field with short passes and screen plays, but the second-year cornerback has done an excellent job blowing up those plays. Douglas has led the Eagles in tackles in each of the last four games, an impressive accomplishment for a cornerback that isn't giving up much int he passing game either.
As impressive as both LeBlanc and Douglas have been, Maddox has arguably been the best of the three. Not only has Maddox played three different positions this season — safety, outside cornerback and nickel cornerback —he has played each at a high level. Although he was impressive at all three, Maddox might have found a home at the most important of the trio, outside cornerback. Despite a rough second half against the Bears, Maddox has been as close to a shut-down cornerback the Eagles have had this season at outside cornerback, even holding his own against Houston Texans' receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Add veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins to the trio, and the Eagles' secondary is a much different unit than the one that hit rock bottom in the middle of the season — and they are certainly no longer a unit to joke about.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
