Eagles 2020 training camp battles: Who's the No. 2 cornerback?

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As we near the start of the Eagles’ 2020 training camp, we’re taking a closer look at some key position battles to watch this summer.

Up first: No. 2 cornerback 

Names to know

Avonte Maddox, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas 

What to watch

This is probably the most exciting battle to watch as we prepare for the Eagles’ 2020 training camp. The Birds this offseason went out and got Darius Slay from the Lions for a couple draft picks and then signed him to a new deal. Slay, 29, is widely considered to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. If this move works out, he’ll be the best corner the Eagles have had since Asante Samuel a decade ago. So he’s obviously one of their starters. 

And the Eagles this offseason also signed Nickell Robey-Coleman, who they consider to be one of the best nickel corners in the entire league … and they got him for an incredibly reasonable price. So go ahead and write down Slay and Robey-Coleman in ink. So those two are starters. 

But what about the starting position opposite Slay? Remember, it'll be an important position if teams want to avoid Slay. 

For now, that position says Maddox’s name in pencil. It seems like the Eagles will give the former 4th-round pick the first crack at being CB2. But Jones is definitely in the mix. After all, he’s entering Year 4 of his career and as Howie Roseman said earlier this offseason, “It’s time for him to prove it.” 

Every year, I put out a list of potential breakout candidates on the Eagles’ roster and Jones made his third straight appearance on that list. He’s going to make that list until one of two things happens: He has a breakout season or he’s not on the team anymore. Because we have seen that talent from Jones in flashes but he has obviously never turned into the 1st-round type of talent the Eagles thought they were getting when they took a chance on him and his torn Achilles with No. 43 back in 2017. 

Maddox was a 4th-round pick the year after Jones was taken in the second round. He’s had his ups and downs but has been a versatile member of the secondary and a favorite of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. While Maddox might seem best suited to play inside because of his stature (5-foot-9), the Eagles seem convinced he can play on the outside. 

As for Douglas, the Eagles forced him to take a pay cut this offseason and he definitely seems like the odd man out for now, despite having more starts under his belt at the position than either of his competitors. But it seems like if Douglas is on the roster in 2020, it’ll be as a backup. 

This is a battle we would have been watching closely during the spring but all of those in-person workouts were canceled. The coaches staff likely would have used that time to rotate players and try different combinations. Those cancelations didn’t help Jones, who seemingly has some ground to make up. 

Prediction 

The Eagles would probably love to see Jones, their former 2nd-round pick, take control of this starting gig and never give it up. While that’s not completely out of the question, that might be hard to do in just five or six weeks at training camp, especially if Maddox is given the first crack at the job. I still think there’s untapped potential with Jones but given these circumstances, I’ll say Maddox wins the CB2 job out of camp. 

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