The Philadelphia Eagles have made an impressive hire on Senior Bowl Saturday, agreeing to a deal with Marquand Manuel according to Jeremy Fowler.
Manuel was the architect of an improved Falcons defense and will be called upon to turn around an Eagles cornerback group that has struggled in coverage over the past two years.
With changes coming on the backend of the Eagles defense, here are four takeaways from Manuel’s hiring.
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1. Eagles defensive backs will improve immediately
Manuel, 40, has a track record of success and experience that dates back to his playing days at Florida. He played 8 seasons in the NFL and coached up the Seahawks defense when they were considered the best in the NFL. While in Atlanta, Manuel was credited with the improvement in Keanu Neals play overall improvement of the Falcons secondary.
2. Changes are coming in the secondary
Starters Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills are set to be free agents, while Rasul Douglas and Sidney Jones could both be traded or released. Expect the Eagles to aggressively add talent to the secondary via free agency and the draft.
With Manuel’s familiarity with Schwartz’s system, he will be asked to acclimate the new defenders.
3. Eagles now have 3 defensive coordinators on staff
One thing the Eagles won’t be in 2020 is unprepared on the defensive side of the ball. With Matt Burke set to coach up the defensive line and Manuel with the secondary, they will have three defensive coaches on the staff who have experience being defensive coordinators. Manuel’s addition makes for a strong and deep defensive staff.
