Since 2013, the Eagles have invested nine draft picks in defensive backs. Yet when the 2016 season begins Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, the Eagles' starting secondary will not include a single homegrown player - and all are free-agent acquisitions signed during the last three seasons.
Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll are the Eagles' top cornerbacks. Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod form one of the league's best safety combinations. Their average age is 28.5 years old. This is not a secondary built for the future. It's a group in place to be competitive now.
The Eagles kept three cornerbacks on their initial 53-man roster who were in their first or second seasons - Eric Rowe, Jalen Mills, and C.