Injuries have decimated the Philadelphia Eagles' cornerback depth early in the 2019 season, so the team acted quickly to bring back Orlando Scandrick, as NFL Network's Mike Garafalo reported, re-signing the veteran a day after "Thursday Night Football" left Philly with just two healthy players at the position.
Scandrick is no Jalen Ramsey -- a big name repeatedly linked to the Eagles in speculated trade talks. But he gives the team an able body to slide into the secondary, not to mention a relatively familiar one, as the former longtime Dallas Cowboys starter spent the offseason competing for a backup role in Philadelphia.
With Jalen Mills and Cre'Von LeBlanc sidelined at least until midseason on reserve/injured lists, Ronald Darby reportedly out at least a month with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 3 and both Sidney Jones and Avonte Maddox leaving Thursday's win with injuries, the Eagles were down to just Rasul Douglas and Craig James, a practice squad member promoted just two days before Week 4, at the CB spot.
Scandrick isn't necessarily starting material at age 32, but he offers extensive experience both in the nickel and on the outside. A fifth-round draft pick back in 2008, he spent the first nine years of his NFL career in Dallas, where he started 69 games and logged eight interceptions. After an offseason stint with the Washington Redskins in 2018, he spent his 10th year with the Kansas City Chiefs, recording a career-high 13 pass deflections in seven starts.
Back with the Eagles, Scandrick could be an immediate candidate to replace Maddox in the slot, where he appeared during the preseason. Until any of the team's ailing other corners return, safety Malcolm Jenkins, a CB to start his career, figures to be in line for more snaps in the slot as well, with reserve safeties Andrew Sendejo and Jonathan Cyprien presumably manning larger roles at the back end of the secondary.
