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Virtually everything the Eagles touched in 2017 turned to gold silver. With free agency around the corner and the draft to follow, we look back at the top 10 moves the Eagles made on their path to the Super Bowl.
Every preseason we remind ourselves that the preseason doesn’t mean anything. Every Labor Day weekend we then adjust our expectations for the season based off the preseason.
If I told you in August that Patrick Robinson would have a great season, you’d have laughed in my face. I wouldn’t have believed it myself. Robinson was brutal in the early part of training camp, at one point the biggest disappointment by a plurality of reporters. His play improved as the preseason progressed, but he wasn’t leaving many confident on the eve of the season starting.
Then the regular season happened. Robinson had spent most of camp on the outside, but after the Eagles traded for Ronald Darby he was moved to the slot… and turned out to be one of the better slot corners in the league and a playmaker for the Eagles. Robinson led the team with 4 interceptions and 18 passes defensed in the regular season, added a sack and a blocked field goal. Football Outsiders charted him tied for 12th in their success rate, along with A.J. Bouye, Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson. Like Chris Long, he had a knack for timing: two of his regular season interceptions came in one score games, one in the last second win against the Giants in which he also broke up a pass on fourth down. And then you might remember this interception in the playoffs:
.@PatRobinson25 PICKS off Case Keenum.
— NFL (@NFL) January 22, 2018
Sets up his blocking.
And takes it to the HOUSE.
Touchdown, @eagles! #MINvsPHI #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/VH6kVCylBp
A free agent to be, a team might throw some good money at Robinson, who made just $775,000 in 2017. It probably won’t be the Eagles, who don’t have much cap space and do have four cornerbacks who are 24 or younger. Which would be for the better. Robinson is 30, and 30 year old journeymen usually don’t build on career years. The Eagles brought him in to be a bridge signing, and they crossed an ocean together. Robinson has earned his payday.