Getty The Seahawks plan to meet with cornerback T.J. Carrie.
The situation at cornerback is alarming for the Philadelphia Eagles. Honestly, the depth there might be barer than the cupboard in Old Mother Hubbard’s house.
Darius Slay is the undisputed starter on one side, with Avonte Maddox slated to start opposite him. Problem is, they have no nickel corner and Maddox translates better in the slot. That makes adding another cornerback a pretty big priority either in the NFL draft or free agency.
Well, there is a strong veteran option on their radar. The Indianapolis Colts let T.J. Carrie walk in free agency and the Eagles are in the mix to land him. According to Adam Caplan of Inside the Birds, the hybrid defensive back is a strong candidate to join the team prior to training camp. Caplan said the following (as transcribed by Philly Voice):
They have to add three corners on the outside, whether it’s two in the draft or two in free agency, one way or the other. T.J. Carrie is a guy I understand they have some interest in. He’s a hybrid, he could play safety he played safety with the Raiders – he could play corner. He’s more of a dime/nickel [cornerback].
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Carrie Played Under Jonathan Gannon
The move would make a ton of sense considering Carrie’s relationship with new Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. He played for the Indianapolis Colts last year where Gannon served as secondary coach. The 30-year-old cornerback saw action in 15 games (two starts) and made two interceptions and returned one 47 yards for a touchdown.
Originally a seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2014, Carrie has seven career interceptions and 51 pass breakups, plus six forced fumbles and 363 combined tackles. He inked a four-year, $31 million contract with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and took over as the nickel corner after losing the starting job on the outside during training camp.
#Browns sign CB TJ Carrie to a four-year, $31M deal. Signing bonus is $3.6M and $15.5M is guaranteed, per someone who has seen the agreement.
Coming Off Recent Workout with Saints
The Eagles aren’t the only team looking at Carrie to bolster their secondary. The New Orleans Saints brought him in for a workout last week but he left without a contract. The Saints had also been linked to Chidobe Awuzie and Richard Sherman, per Yahoo! Sports.
Here is a scouting report on the 6-foot, 212-pound California native from 2014 (via Silver & Black Pride):
Carrie is pretty good in press coverage as he has the speed to cover most vertical wide receivers. When the ball is in the air, he competes for it. His size and vertical jump make him a very good defender in the redzone. Carrie has good awareness and quick reactions which are ideal traits for zone coverage.
That last tidbit about zone coverage is noteworthy as the Eagles are expected to employ more zone schemes than man-press coverage under Gannon. He could be an ideal fit for their depleted secondary, one likely to be signed on a cheap one-year deal. He earned only $1.05 million last year in Indianapolis, per Spotrac.