Ronald Darby, Eagles officially agree to 1-year contract

The Philadelphia Eagles have re-signed starting cornerback Ronald Darby to a one-year contract worth $8.5 million, according to an official announcement from the team. (It turns out Antwan Odom was exactly right!)

In a recent interview with NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Darby himself said the Eagles wanted him to stay. Darby also discussed his rehab from the torn ACL he suffered in November 2018 through last season and said that he’s on pace to be ready Week 1.

I’m doing real good. I’m hitting my marks. I’m getting stronger. I’m jumping. Running in the RTG. Everything feels good. I feel real good. Working muscles I normally don’t work. We work glute every day. And I’m going to be ready by Week 1, so that’s the goal. Back by Week 1 and that’s what I’m headed to.

Rapoport reports that Darby “may not be ready for Week 1,” however.

With his season cut short, he didn’t quite live up to the heights he did in 2017, but he still managed 43 total tackles (39 solo), 12 passes defended and an interception in 2018 before being sidelined. He also lined up for a significantly higher percentage of snaps last season, 542 (84%), compared to 2017, 382 (37%).

ProFootball Focus

The Eagles traded for Darby in 2017, sending a 2018 third-round pick and Jordan Matthews to the Bills. In doing so, they had him relatively cheap on the final years of his rookie contract, but he was expected to fetch a much higher price tag in this year’s free agency.

Spotrac projected his value to be around $10.8 million per year, based on age and production, which could have been the reason he felt compelled to test the market before committing to one team.

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BLG TAKE: Hard not to like bringing Darby back on a one-year, “prove it” deal that’s well below his projected market value of around $12 million. Darby is a talented player, when healthy.