Getty Eagles CB Kevon Seymour has five career starts in 32 NFL games since 2016.
The Philadelphia Eagles struggled as much as Rocky Balboa in the early rounds this year, especially when it to came to staying healthy in the secondary. They seemed to find limited magic in a bottle, in 82 defensive snaps, with Kevon Seymour.
The 27-year-old signed a reserves/contract contract with the Eagles that will at least keep the cornerback on the practice squad and safe from poachers. It will also give Seymour (6-foot, 185 pounds) an opportunity to compete for a legitimate role on the team in 2021 in a unit full of question marks. Darius Slay is one unquestioned starter on the outside, but the other spot may be up for grabs.
Avonte Maddox turned in an up-and-down year while battling unfortunate injuries. He finished with 40 total tackles and three passes defensed in 10 games in 2020. The fourth-round draft pick out of Pittsburgh from 2018 received a dismal 37.8 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus, and 29 receptions allowed (88th in the NFL).
Meanwhile, the Eagles’ depth chart is sunk. Nickell Robey-Coleman and Cre’Von LeBlanc are free agents as well as safety-cornerback hybrid Jalen Mills. The team signed the following players to futures contract earlier this week: safety Blake Countess, cornerback Lavert Hill.
Roster Moves: #Eagles have agreed to terms with DT T.Y. McGill on a one-year contract and signed the following players to reserve/futures contracts.
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Is Seymour a True ‘Diamond in the Rough’ CB?
The Buffalo Bills drafted Seymour in the sixth round of the 2016 draft (218th overall) as a potential NFL starter. The team’s official website referred to him as a “diamond in the rough” and he began his career with tremendous promise.
Seymour saw action in 15 games (three starts) and recorded 22 total tackles and three passes defensed in his rookie year. Then a series of unfortunate events — surgeries on two shoulders, hamstring and wrist injuries — literally paused a once-promising NFL journey.
“I’m just preparing to be the best version of myself, the best version of Kevon Seymour on that field,” Seymour told Philly reporters on Dec. 17. “I take none of this for granted. All of those hard times, I love it all. I attack every day like it’s my last.”
Eagles Always Liked Seymour’s ‘Experience’
Seymour was thrown into the fire in Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints and held his own versus one of the NFL’s most lethal offenses. He played 35 defensive snaps and finished with five tackles after filling in for Maddox who left with a knee injury.
Former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was asked about what Seymour’s tick after that game and credited his veteran experience. Schwartz, of course, officially retired from the NFL on Jan. 8.
“Well, yeah, like I said before, everybody has a unique skill set. You have to balance what their skill set is with what the game plan is, and they are not independent of each other,” Schwartz said on Dec. 15. “But Key [Kevon Seymour] is not a rookie. Key played a lot of football for Buffalo and has some experience. Hasn’t played much in the last couple years, but he is a, I guess you would say, a young veteran that did have some experience. I think 2016 played a lot of football for Buffalo.”
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Eagles Sign ‘Diamond-in-the-Rough’ CB to Futures Contract