The Eagles invested a whopping $8.75 million into cornerback Ronald Darby for the 2019 season when they signed him to a one-year deal last week.
Speaking Tuesday to reporters, Darby sounded optimistic he would be able to earn every penny this season despite the fact he is currently recovering from an ACL injury that ended his 2018 season.
"It's going great," Darby said. "My goal is to be back by Week 1."
Although Darby's goal was clearly to be ready for Week 1, he also insisted the decision would be up the medical staff. The Eagles' season opener in September will be 10 months from the injury. Training camp will be roughly nine months. Darby would not go into details on what the next step in his rehab is.
"To continue to hit the marks," Darby said.
Darby, who also had interest from the Kansas City Chiefs, suffered the torn ACL in the Eagles' loss to the Dallas Cowboys last November. It is the second time in two years with the Eagles he has suffered a major injury, as he dislocated his ankle in 2017.
Now that Darby is back, the question is how will his return impact the rest of the secondary, as the Eagles now have (arguably) six cornerbacks who can make a legitimate argument to be a starter next season.
Chances are, especially with this new deal, Darby will be starting when he returns. The Eagles are obviously very high on Darby, although it is hard to see why. He has not played at a consistently high level since being acquired by the Eagles prior to the 2017 season, has done a poor job tackling and hasn't been able to stay healthy.
Still, the front office traded a third-round pick for him and they have now committed $8.75 million in cap space to him for one season. The coaches might not be as high on Darby as the front office is, but it appears the front office is going to win this battle. That will be clear when Darby is handed his job back when he eventually returns from his ACL injury, no matter how the starter he replaces is playing.
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