PHOENIX -- A couple short hours after the Eagles brought in defensive end Chris Long, the team has reached a contract agreement with veteran corner Patrick Robinson.
In doing so, the Eagles added much-needed depth to their two biggest positions of need.
Robinson, now 29, was the 32nd overall pick in 2010 out of Florida State, but has never had more than four interceptions in a season.
He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Saints before going to the Chargers for a year and the Colts last season. In 81 career games (49 starts), Robinson has 10 interceptions. Robinson's two best seasons came in 2011-12 with the Saints, when he played in 31 games, had seven interceptions and 33 passes defensed.
Even with the signing, the Eagles are still particularly thin at cornerback heading into the draft. And this signing should not change the team's mindset when the draft begins in April. Two starting corners from a year ago, Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin, are no longer on the team. The Eagles cut McKelvin and let Carroll walk in free agency. So even with Robinson, there's work to do.
The good news for the Eagles is that this draft class is considered to be incredibly deep for defensive backs. In fact, several NFL personnel folks have said this is as deep as they've ever seen for defensive backs.
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The corners on the roster now are Robinson, Ron Brooks, Jalen Mills, C.J. Smith, Dwayne Gratz, Aaron Grymes and Mitchell White. From the players currently on the roster, Mills, Brooks and Robinson are the most likely to see significant playing time in 2017.
