Free agency rumors: Eagles will let Ronald Darby hit open market

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly ready to let young cornerback Ronald Darby leave in free agency given their overall depth.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of impressive young depth at cornerback heading into the 2019 offseason, and Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Enquirer believes that Ronald Darby is going to hit free agency in the process as the team moves forward.

Darby is an odd man out despite being only 25-years-old, largely due to suffering a torn ACL in November. He faces a long rehabilitation process and will then have to prove his health to teams once he’s ready to go. That can be a long waiting game, and the Eagles simply have the luxury of not having to wait.

Darby entered the NFL in the 2015 NFL Draft in the second round by the Buffalo Bills. The Bills traded Darby to Philly for Jordan Matthews and a third-round pick in 2017. Unfortunately, his tenure with Philly has been marred by injuries including last season’s ACL tear and a dislocated ankle in the previous season. To his credit, Darby has shown strong when available and he’s inserted himself as a starter despite so much young depth on the team.

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Darby should have no problems finding a suitor if he’s able to complete the rehab as expected. He’s still quite young and very athletic, so there’s no reason to believe Darby can’t completely come back from such an injury.

For a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, Darby is the perfect sort of offseason acquisition to help the secondary make the leap back to respectability. That doesn’t mean Darby himself is the ideal candidate, but it means some sort of buy-low acquisition at cornerback with a higher ceiling could yield great dividends and play right into the rest of the team’s plans.

First of all, the Chiefs are facing some interesting financial choices to big ticket items like Justin Houston and Eric Berry. These players could be cut entirely, restructured, or remain on the salary cap list as big pills to swallow. With even more lucrative extensions to come for defensive lineman Chris Jones and wideout Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs simply don’t have a lot of money to throw at every problem.

A player like Darby will likely want a one-year deal to show what he can do. Coming off of an injury, any team is going to be reticent to pledge any real commitment to Darby—and any team that does so would expect a serious discount on future years for the risk they are taking. That likely means Darby will take a short-term deal with the right team to rehab his image.

That makes the Chiefs a perfect landing spot—or at least a team like them. The financial aspect wouldn’t be a hurdle for the Chiefs, yet Darby would have no spot securing a starting role if he’s healthy. Kendall Fuller is the only player who has secured anything for 2019. The Chiefs have hopes that Charvarius Ward can turn into a real asset along with Jordan Lucas. Still, it’s not nearly enough for the Chiefs to move forward without securing at least one veteran to add to the mix after losing Orlando Scandrick and likely Nelson as well in free agency.

The good news is that Darby never had durability issues in college at Florida State or in his first couple seasons in the NFL. His dislocated ankle and torn ACL aren’t part of a bigger trend and it’s not some pie-in-the-sky ideal that Darby could come back and play 15 or 16 games in 2019.

For Darby, a team like the Chiefs not only offers instant opportunity but a bright spotlight as well. If Darby wants to show that he’s worthy of a big payday in 2020, then playing in primetime five or more times in 2019 will do the trick. Given the presence of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs Super Bowl hopes, Darby would have plenty of opportunities to show what he can do on the national stage.

The Chiefs are expected to add a cornerback in the first round or two in the 2019 NFL Draft given the strength of the class compared with the team’s needs and picks. If that is the case, the Chiefs could enter the next season with a depth chart that includes Fuller, Darby, an impact rookie, Ward, Lucas, and Tremon Smith. That’s a solid young core that can grow together, excel on special teams, and withstand the rigors of a season.

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