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The Philadelphia Eagles and cornerback Craig James have agreed to a one-year contract extension worth up to $1.52 million with $300,000 guaranteed, according to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero. James was previously set to be a free agent after 2020.
This development confirms James will make the Eagles’ 53-man roster. We previously wrote about James as a player on the bubble:
James is a good special teams player (led the team in special teams tackles in 2019) and he looked solid while taking reps at second team cornerback in training camp. He’s much more deserving to make the roster than Sidney Jones is. He’s also only about a month older than Jones, too. James making the team could depend on the Eagles keeping six corners, which isn’t a guarantee. James should at least be a lock for the practice squad.
It’s good to see that James will be sticking around.
It’s also interesting to think about what this means for the rest of the cornerback position. Are the Eagles going to move on from Jones and/or Rasul Douglas via cut or trade? Will they just keep seven corners?
My final 53-man roster projection has the Eagles keeping the following players:
CORNERBACK: Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Cre’Von LeBlanc, Sidney Jones, Craig James (6) [45]
Slay, Maddox, and NRC (slot) are the main starters. Strap could see playing time in various subpackages, especially with Will Parks banged up. Jones doesn’t deserve to make the team but I’m thinking Howie Roseman will have a hard time letting go. Unlike Jones, James deserves a spot after having a good camp and proving himself on special teams last year. Rasul Douglas is the odd man out due to a lack of speed and versatility. Maybe the Eagles find a way to trade Sul for a conditional late-round pick or a third tight end or something along those lines. Maybe they just have to cut him, though.
We’ll soon find out what the Eagles plan to do. Roster cuts are officially due in before 4:00 PM Eastern on Saturday, September 5.