We close out the defensive portion of our offseason review/preview series with the safety position, one that will be closely watched in the months to come ...
2011 In Review:
After long-time starter Quintin Mikell departed as a free agent in the offseason, the Eagles turned to their stable of young safeties in 2011. Two members of the 2010 draft class, second-round pick Nate Allen and seventh-rounder Kurt Coleman, played the majority of snaps for the Eagles at safety. Allen, who was still working his way back to full health after suffering a torn patellar tendon at the tail end of his rookie campaign, actually began the season as a backup behind veteran free agent import Jarrad Page. But Allen regained his starting role in Week 4 and stayed in that role the rest of the season. It was easy to see that Allen was still not quite 100 percent, but he improved steadily as the season wore on and ended up grading out as the 15th best safety in the league according to ProFootballFocus.
Coleman, meanwhile, began the year as a starter alongside Page, but ceded the starting role to Allen after a disappointing performance against the New York Giants in Week 3. After two games on the bench, Coleman won the job back from Page and returned as a starter for the Week 6 tilt against the Washington Redskins. That game turned out to be one of the more memorable individual performances of the year for any Eagle, as Coleman intercepted Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman three times, earning himself NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Coleman's four interceptions on the season ended up as the best on the team – pretty impressive for a former seventh-round draft pick.
And yet, Coleman is by no means assured of retaining his starting role moving forward. 2011 second-round draft pick Jaiquawn Jarrett has the pedigree that will assure him an opportunity to work himself into the starting lineup, especially with a full offseason ahead to grow in the defense. After joining the team following the truncated offseason, Jarrett didn't get much playing time on defense until the second half of the season. But he garnered two starts as an injury replacement and did well for the most part, notching 15 total tackles in those two games. Jarrett, considered a hard-hitting physical player, will be one of the key players to watch this offseason.
Beyond those three, the Eagles are blessed with one of the best special teams players in the league in Colt Anderson. Anderson didn't play on defense in 2011, but he more than took advantage of his opportunities as a gunner in coverage, as well as his other utility roles under Bobby April. After the special teams ace suffered an unfortunate torn ACL in Week 12, the Eagles signed Tom Nelson, a noted special teamer from his time with the Cincinnati Bengals. Nelson filled in for Anderson for the final four weeks of the regular season.
End-Of-Season Depth Chart:
FS: 1. Nate Allen 2. Tom Nelson
SS: 1. Kurt Coleman 2. Jaiquawn Jarrett
Impressive Stat:
Coleman's three interception performance in Week 6 was the first for an Eagle since Joe Scarpati did it against the New York Giants all the way back in 1966.
Questions To Be Answered:
After spending second-round picks on safeties in two consecutive seasons, is there any chance the Eagles take a safety early in the draft again? That's unlikely, especially with Allen appearing to be a player on the rise as he gets a second year removed from his knee injury. In fact, the offseason should be a boon for all three young safeties, as none of the three has yet had the benefit of a full offseason thanks to last year's work stoppage.
Jarrett will be the one watched closest, as the team hopes he can take a big step forward in his second season. But don't count out Coleman, who has proved himself as, at worst, a very solid third safety and a reliable player. If the Eagles don't want to rely solely on the three youngsters again, they could look to bring in a veteran in free agency. There are actually several notable safeties slated to hit the open market, including the likes of LaRon Landry, Michael Griffin, Chris Hope and Dashon Goldson.
