When the Philadelphia Eagles brought back Orlando Scandrick after he spent most of the preseason with the team, most fans probably weren't expecting much from him -- Boy were we wrong about that (so far). Do not get overhyped, the New York Jets offense was ranked last in the NFL heading into this past Sunday's game. The fact that a fourth-string quarterback was playing did not help them either. However, he did give a much-needed boost to the entire cornerback group for the Eagles. The entire defense was shining more than it had all season. Part of that was because of Scandrick. Yes, the former-Cowboy we just brought back in after having problems with a depleted secondary. He is a seasoned-veteran do not get me wrong, but being on the streets the first four weeks os the season usually means you don't have much left to offer NFL teams. He certainly proved a lot of teams wrong. All I was hoping for is that he did not give up long passing plays or commit any costly penalties. He didn't do either of those things. Instead, he gave the Eagles defense a fire that stayed lit throughout the whole game.
During Scandrick’s first game back he had two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a 44-yard fumble return for a touchdown. During that play, Scandrick sort of just took the ball from the Jets quarterback Luke Falk, the poor guy must have been confused about what Scandrick was doing there. The Eagles have not had a blitzing cornerback in quite a long time. The last time a cornerback had two sacks in a game was Bobby Taylor back in 1997, no need to reread that you read it right the first time. After watching a struggling secondary most of the season, Scandrick was a breath of fresh air Sunday. My bold prediction is he stays starting cornerback over Sidney Jones who has not been the steal the Eagles thought he would be.
Scandrick knows it's his time to shine with some of the Eagles cornerbacks out for several more weeks. I certainly hope he takes this opportunity to show he still has some gas left in the tank. To think that Scandrick was drafted in the 2008 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (143rd overall) and is still contributing today is quite an accomplishment. He played most of his career with the Cowboys then in 2018 went to the Kansas City Chiefs. Bringing back a player that we released early in the year usually isn't exciting, especially since all Eagles fans want the team to go all out on a good cornerback like Jalen Ramsey. The hype may have started too soon and we could have Patrick Robinson back. Scandrick had the highest secondary grade according to PFF's grading system, and he also made PFF’s 'Team of the Week' for Week 5. He had a grade of 97.4 which was way ahead of 2nd place cornerback Jason McCourty of the New England Patriots with a grade of 90.3.
The Eagles defense needs to ride this new found confidence throughout the rest of October, as they have three straight road games. If Scandrick plays how he did vs the Jets in these upcoming games, him and the rest of the defense could make these three games a lot easier. Still, even after that kind of performance from Scandrick I feel now is the time to make another move on a solid cornerback so we are set for the rest of 2019. We need to secure our secondary so we can beat teams with powerful offenses. I don't want to lose to the Dallas Cowboys or the New England Patriots (I have to say their fans are the worst living in their territory). Let this team show it does not always have to rise from the underdog status, that it is at a top-dog status now. Let's show them that Eagles defense is not to be messed with.
