Dreams do come true, though. The Philadelphia Eagles will enter the 2022–2023 NFL season with what is perhaps their strongest cornerback pairing since Bobby “The Blanket” Taylor and Troy Vincent roamed the secondary after finding a much-needed partner for Darius Slay.
Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown are not being disparaged in any way. They were a strong team, and they rarely let their fans down, but nothing compared to Troy and Bobby, and the Big Play Slay/James Bradberry combination ought to keep the opposing offensive coordinators and their quarterbacks up late the night before their games against Philadelphia.
It’s possible that CBS Sports missed the memo. They are aware that Slay and Bradberry are among the finest players, for sure. Does anyone not? Even yet, they nevertheless excluded them from one of their most recent player rankings.
Philadelphia Eagles are not mentioned in CBS Sports’ list of the top 10 cornerbacks in the NFL.
Patrik Walker of CBS Sports released his list of the top ten cornerbacks in the National Football League prior to the last full weekend of June. Here is the list’s inclusion:
L.A. Rams’ Jalen Ramsey Miami Dolphins’ Xavien Howard L.A. Chargers’ J.C. Jackson New Orleans Saints’ Marshon Lattimore Dallas Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs Cleveland Browns’ Denzel Ward Indianapolis Colts Kenny Moore II Buffalo Bills’ Tre’Davious White Atlanta Falcons’ A.J. Terrell Baltimore Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey
Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers is positioned just outside the top ten by Walker. We may be partial, but we were upset to see James Bradberry and Darius Slay overlooked.
Walker, as most people are aware, is one of the more well-known media figures in the Dallas Cowboys community, so we were this close to calling foul (as you see Trevon Diggs earned a top-five ranking). We then went back a little because we realized that he had just identified Kenneth Gainwell as a potential breakout player for the upcoming season. We put the challenge flag back in our pockets like any football-minded person would.
Of course, we’re joking—sort of. Patrik Walker puts a nice group of names together here, and arguing Slay and/or Bradberry on the list means we have to argue one or two guys off. That was an exercise that we didn’t feel like undertaking, so we’ll leave that to the rest of you. Here’s what we can say though.
Slay is a four-time Pro Bowler whose most recent nod came at the end of this past season. He’s coming off of a campaign in which he tallied 52 total tackles, three interceptions, nine pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and three defensive touchdowns. One would assume he’ll have to level off at some point. So far, there’s been no regression, however, so we’re enjoying the ride while it lasts.
Bradberry had an off-year by James Bradberry standards, but come on. Everyone from players to coaches to front-office personnel has an off-year with what’s become a downtrodden New York Giants franchise. Expect a bounceback from him, especially seeing as how he’s looking for a long-term deal and the Philadelphia Eagles got him for a bargain.
The point is this. Forget the power rankings and positional comparisons. Philadelphia has one of the best starting cornerback combos in Slay and Bradberry, and their starter in the slot, Avonte Maddox is no slouch either. If three of these young guys can evolve into key depth pieces, you may not hear any complaints about the Eagles’ cornerback room all season.