Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Team Free Agency Targets: Philadelphia Eagles

To finish our look at Cincinnati Bengals free agency targets from 2017 playoff teams, a look at who could be worth targeting from the Philadelphia Eagles.

There were 12 teams that made the 2017 NFL Playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals were not among them. However, they would certainly love to get back to the postseason sooner rather than later. Attacking 2018 NFL Free Agency will be key to doing that, which is why we’ve been looking at players from playoff teams who could fit well in a striped helmet.

We’ve already covered a player on each of the following teams: the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, and New England Patriots.

Now, we look at one from the 2018 Super Bowl Champions: the Philadelphia Eagles.

Corey Graham, S

The secondary for Cincinnati proved to be a noteworthy weakness throughout 2017. While the group no doubt had a couple excellent performers (William Jackson III, Darqueze Dennard), the group as a whole was often unable to work cohesively and contribute to consistent stops.

Those issues showed up in numerous ways, but none were more frustrating than the inability of the secondary to come away with turnovers. Cincinnati was tied for No. 20 in the league with 11 interceptions, but only eight of those came from corners or safeties. Another point: only one player had more than one interception themselves, and that was a measly two by Dennard.

This lack of playmaking is bad enough on its own, but then you factor in the lackluster play of much of the secondary as a whole and you see a group which is in need of some more impactful individuals, particularly at safety. George Iloka and Shawn Williams are a decent but limited starting combination. Josh Shaw fell off a cliff in productivity when given more responsibility as a slot corner/safety. Clayton Fejedelem was only expected to be a little-used backup — and he played like it when called upon.

Graham would be a player worth considering to fix their problems. At 32, he is not a player on the rise, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost his ability to contribute in the proper role. He isn’t that far removed from a 1,000+ snap season (1,052 in 2016 with Buffalo), and though his best role is likely closer to what he saw in 2017 (367 snaps) than previously, he can be successful with more involvement than the Eagles needed from him this past year.

Per Pro Football Focus Edge, since 2011 Graham has graded out between 77.3-84.3 in their metrics every season. In that time, he’s picked up 16 interceptions — with at least one every year and at least two in all but one of those seasons. He also has 55 pass knockdowns in that time, with four-plus in all of the past six years. Add in the five fumble recoveries, and Graham is shown to be a player who makes a habit of getting his hands on the ball — which is exactly what Cincinnati needs from its secondary.

Should he be added to the mix, Graham would be a major step forward at a spot of weakness. Shaw’s 2017 shows he likely isn’t a good answer in the slot safety role, but Graham would appear perfect for it. He doesn’t have the speed of his youth, but that isn’t quite as important in the slot versus being placed alone outside against speedy No. 1 receivers. His coverage skills overall are still high level (82.5 in 2017). Put that level of play in place of Shaw and Fejedelem’s 2017 contributions and you have a much stingier secondary which has a higher floor for their combined performance.

Next: Grading each 2017 first-round pick after rookie year

Going after a hot name elsewhere in Philadelphia’s secondary free agency pool would be more exciting, but a guy like Patrick Robinson is set to get a huge payday off of a clear outlier season at a more expensive position — one which Cincinnati already has hefty (and questionable) monetary investments in as it is.

Graham should be cheaper, safer, and less sought-after by his current team and around the league than a player like Robinson. At the end of the day, he may end up being the sort of underrated signing who quickly proves to be the more valuable option. Bengals fans should hope that their team is the one to pounce on it.