Candis R. McLean
The cornerback position has been a bit of a turnstile over the past few years in Philadelphia. After the 2018-19 season, many fans and media members thought that a reshuffling of the deck in the secondary was on the horizon. A contrast has happened for the Eagles however with the restructure of Rodney McLeod and the re-signing of starting cornerback Ronald Darby. The one-year deal is a $6.5 million contract with $4.5 million fully guaranteed. It also included a $3.5 million signing bonus and features a $1 million salary. Darby can also get up to $2 million in per-game roster bonuses and incentives.
Recently, Darby spoke with several media members and highlighted that he’s targeting a Week 1 return and that he looks forward to the competition in the cornerback room. After the call, the 25-year-old sat down with Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro to talk his return to Philly and his outlook for the upcoming season. Here are some of the highlights:
On free agency and why he returned:
“It was different. It was new and kind of like recruiting again. I’m glad it’s [free agency] over with man.
“As far as rehab goes, I feel like it’s a great fit for me. Knowing the trainers, knowing the system… it would be very difficult for me to go somewhere for one year and learn a new system.”
“It’s a great place. I love it here.”
“It’s an aggressive defense. We got the right players. Our d-line is very good. We can make a lot of plays.”
“I love the culture here. I love the coaches here. I love the city, the fans. We’re [the players] like brothers and it’s hard to walk away from all that. Especially after being in a place like this.”
On how he feels physically:
“I feel great. I’m hitting all my marks. Everything looks well. All my days and offseason [devoted to rehab].”
On last season and future competition:
“It was real tough [last year]. I was making plays last year and just to get hurt like that…and be out the rest of the year…it was real depressing.”
“You want the team to do well. I [like] how the team came together towards the end and made that strong push. It was great.”
On the Super Bowl hangover:
“The lesson I learned is there is no offseason. You’re done in February and you’re right back in April for OTAs. You have to make that push during the season to get back to the playoffs. It’s a lot of work. It’s stressing on the body. I hurt my ankle [2017 season] and came back. I was still kind of feeling it when once we got into playoffs.”
Message to the fans:
“I’m gonna come out there like always, make plays, and play hard.”
Watch the full video below:
You can follow Candis McLean on Twitter (@CandisRMcLean) and e-mail her at [email protected].
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