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Eagles starting cornerback Ronald Darby will “likely [miss] a few games” after suffering a hamstring injury in Philadelphia’s Week 3 loss to the Lions, according to a report from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Darby, who’s allowed a 110.2 passer rating when targeted, was struggling prior to getting hurt so fans won’t exactly be upset to see him out of the lineup. With that said, the Eagles are now down to just three healthy cornerbacks on their 53-man roster: Rasul Douglas, Sidney Jones, and Avonte Maddox. That’s very thin.
Of course, the Eagles could always add another corner to their roster by trading for Jalen Ramsey! The more realistic route involves the team promoting Craig James from the practice squad back to the main roster.
With Darby out, Jones and Douglas figure to start on the outside with Maddox manning the slot. The Eagles had previously been rotating Jones and Douglas on the outside so this is their chance to take advantage of playing time as full-time starters.
Here’s how the Eagles’ corners have graded out by Pro Football Focus so far this season:
Jones — 38th out of 110
Douglas — 40th out of 110
Maddox — 82nd out of 110
Darby — 101st out of 110
It’s worth noting that Jalen Mills is still on the reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and can’t be activated until Week 7 at the earliest.
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UPDATE: NFL insider Mike Garafolo provides a time-frame on Darby’s injury.
Wouldn't be surprised if he was out a month or so. Sounds like he has a pretty significant hamstring injury. https://t.co/7XYzfXFlQW
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 23, 2019