Eagles' Brandon Boykin trade under suspicion again

After the woeful exhibition the Philadelphia Eagles put on in their pass defense last season, that the secondary unit was overhauled could hardly be that much of a surprise.

The Eagles lingered second from the bottom against the pass overall and in yards allowed per game. They were in the bottom fifth in yards allowed per attempt (7.8) and their 30 touchdowns allowed were the fourth most. They permitted 72 passing gains of 20 or more yards. Yes, seventy-two. They allowed 18 plays of 40 or more yards. 

Jacksonville's Allen Hurns caught a 34 yard touchdown in Week 1. DeSean Jackson brought in an 81 yard touchdown and Arizona's John Brown flew untouched for a 75 yard score. Jordy Nelson's 20 yard scamper helped the Packers torch the Eagles and Dez Bryant easily outpaced Bradley Fletcher for three scores in the Cowboys' revenge match in December.

It was that helplessness against opposing quarterbacks and receivers that dragged what was otherwise a good defensive unit down. Philadelphia was one of five teams that allowed over 6,000 yards last season. Hence, the exit of Fletcher along with cornerbacking cohort Cary Williams. 

After the outgoings and incomings at the position, it looked like the Eagles were sitting pretty with no reason to send anyone else packing.

But when reserve corner Brandon Boykin suddenly became a Pittsburgh Steeler during the Eagles' training camp for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2016, a fair amount of eyebrows found themselves raised again.

Though Boykin played only 42 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps in 2014, the sheer incapacity of their starters made him arguably the best at the position on the roster. Defensive coordinator Bill Davis even said Boykin was one of his favorite players on the team. 

But the trade made some sense, as far as the Eagles' powers-that-be are concerned. Head coach Chip Kelly prefers tall and lanky corners, the better to drape wide receivers in coverage and bat down long passes. Boykin was short in stature with average arms. Anyway, Kelly said, it was the Steelers who came calling for Boykin and not the Eagles who were looking to get rid of him. They were comfortable enough in what they had to make the move.

"We just felt we had really good depth in the secondary, better than we ever had since we've been here," Kelly said on Tuesday. "When [the Steelers] finally got [their eventual offer] up to a fourth [round pick], we felt we couldn't pass up that opportunity."

Mostly because of JaCorey Shepherd, the rookie corner Kelly drafted from Kansas in April. Depth at the position thanks to an activist offseason was offered as an answer to critics of the trade. Eric Rowe, Jaylen Watkins, and E.J. Biggers will be considered in rotation for Boykin's former nickelback spot.

Shepherd, known as a player who takes good angles and excels in press coverage with very active arms and elite ball skills, had been filling in at Boykin's former slot position in training camp. To much enthusiasm from his coaches.

"We're really, really impressed with him," Kelly said. "We're excited about his development and his growth."

He'll have to wait to see how that turns out. Shepherd was put on the Eagles' injured reserve list with a torn ACL following a collision with Darren Sproles at an open practice on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. 

Once again, the Boykin trade came into question. It seemed to confirm all those concerns that were voiced only tepidly until then. All of Kelly's enemies, declared and otherwise, pointed the accusatory finger towards the man they say thinks he knows too much and acts too quick in important matters. Without Boykin or Shepherd involved to fill that role, the Eagles have no option but to test that depth Kelly bragged about.

The silver lining in their cloud comes from the fact that they don't play five defensive backs as much as some other teams, so that depth won't be tested as much as it could be. It's simply not as important a position with this club as it would be with others. The offseason additions of Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond help, also. Maxwell, who has been phenomenal in training camp, is the closest thing the Eagles have had to a shutdown corner since Asante Samuel was in coverage, and Thurmond, though having switched to safety, is someone with experience at the position and can play a kind of hybrid in certain situations.

But Chip Kelly still finds himself with a fistful of rookies banded together with little chemistry or experience to show between them. Now, with Shepherd out of the picture, a serious hole has been carved through the Eagles' secondary overall.