The Signing of Malcolm Jenkins by the Philadelphia Eagles: What It Means for the City
This much is certain: the Philadelphia Eagles are better situated at safety now that they’ve signed veteran Malcolm Jenkins to a three-year contract, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. But, unless the Eagles follow up with another huge purchase at safety, fans have reason to be upset.
Jenkins isn’t even a starter’s caliber player. He’s an upgrade over Nate Allen, who hasn’t been re-signed, and Patrick Chung, who was released on Tuesday, but safety is the one position where the Eagles needed to spend money to create a splash, and that didn’t happen.
The worst part is that they spent money without creating a big splash. According to McLane, the contract is about $5.5 million per year with $8.5 million guaranteed, which is insane considering they could have gotten top-tier playmaker Jairus Byrd for only a few million dollars more.
The Eagles understandably respect Jenkins’ versatility. The 26-year-old came up as a cornerback and can cover inside and outside while also spending time in the box and rushing the quarterback. In 2013, he also spent more time in the slot than any other safety in the NFL.
But adaptability only gets you so far if you lack quality, and that slot factoid is meaningless when the Eagles already have a fantastic nickel cornerback in Brandon Boykin.
The facts are what they are. The Eagles, who finished last in the NFL in pass defense last season, sorely needed help at the safety position. That’s one of the main reasons they’ve invested in a cover-oriented player in that position, but he’s simply not been good enough.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), opposing quarterbacks have averaged a passing rating of 96.8 while targeting Jenkins over the last two seasons. PFF rated him the worst safety in football in 2012. According to the same source, he was second-to-last among all safeties in 2013 with 1.6 yards allowed per cover snap and dead last with one reception allowed per 12.7 cover snaps.
Aside from coverage, he was one of just three safeties to miss 20 or more tackles in 2013 and one of only nine in 2012.
