4 things to know about new Eagles cornerback Daryl Worley

The Philadelphia Eagles acquired 23-year-old cornerback Daryl Worley in a trade with the Carolina Panthers on Friday.

In order to better get to know the Eagles’ newest cornerback, I thought it’d benefit BGN readers to get a Panthers perspective on Worley and the trade as a whole. In order to do that, I reached out to Bradley Smith of Cat Scratch Reader. Here’s what he had to offer.

1 - How are Panthers fans reacting to this trade? How would you grade the deal?

As of 3:40 p.m. ET on March 9 we have just over 1000 votes in our poll, and 70% of our readers selected either ‘No’ or ‘Meh” when asked ‘Do you like the Daryl Worley-Torrey Smith trade?’

As for me, I believe this is one of those trades where the Panthers won and lost at the same time.

The Panthers won because they got the speed/deep threat wide receiver they needed on the depth chart. They lost because they traded their No. 2 cornerback to get him when it was all but guaranteed he was going to be released in a few days.

Overall, I’m decidedly ‘meh’ on this trade. I wish the Panthers would have waited for the Eagles to release Smith and just offered him a contract, but at the same time I understand that he fills a need. Hopefully they can fill the void left by Worley’s departure in the draft or free agency so it all breaks even.

If I had to put a grade on it, I’d give it a C+. There’s a chance that Carolina ends up ‘winning’ this deal, but there’s also a chance that they lose horribly.

2 - I saw one CSR writer describe Worley as the Panthers’ best cornerback by the end of the 2017 season. Why was Worley available?

James Bradberry had an All-Pro caliber season in 2016. But he was asked to play more 1-on-1 man coverage in 2017, something he struggles with as a 6’2”, 215lbs CB. While Daryl Worley is also very much a zone CB, he has a little more speed and agility and started to hold up in man coverage over the final five games of the season. In Week 13 against the Saints he was graded as the Panthers best defender by PFF. Worley was also noticeably better than anyone else in the secondary when it came to run support and limiting yards after the catch.

As to why Worley was available, that’s the part we don’t understand. The Panthers lack depth at cornerback and it’s odd that they would trade their No. 2 guy away for a wide receiver that could have been signed in free agency if the Eagles released him like it has been alleged would happen.

3 - What are Worley’s strengths? What are Worley’s weaknesses?

Strengths: He’s a smart player. He understands route concepts and breaks on the ball within his zone. He’s an excellent run defender and has a lot of length, which helps him disrupt timing at the line

Weaknesses: His eye discipline is an issue in zone coverage and he doesn’t have fluid hips to change directions.

4 - Anything to know about Worley off the field?

In 2014 - while he was in college - he was involved in a nightclub altercation with a female. The Panthers did their due diligence before drafting him and discovered that he was protecting his girlfriend from another female who had threatened her. He plead no-contest and received a 6-month suspended sentence in West Virginia.

The official account (including video evidence) of what happened matched the information the Panthers had, so they drafted him.

From the link above:

Worley’s attorneys released a statement saying the woman Worley grabbed had threatened his girlfriend:”Daryl’s version of events is corroborated not only by the video, but also by several eyewitness statements that we have obtained. In the video, Daryl defends his long-time girlfriend from an advancing female bar patron who had earlier that night threatened to fight his girlfriend. According to eyewitness statements, the advancing female grabs Daryl’s girlfriend’s leg immediately before the video shows him pushing the female away in a non-provoking manner.”

Other than that one incident he’s been a great person off the field and hasn’t been involved in anything noteworthy.

Daryl Worley highlights video (music NSFW):