Eagles' Rasul Douglas still enduring growing pains at cornerback
The rookie cornerback is learning to accept failure.
Rasul Douglas entered the NFL trying to stop every wide receiver route. After several practices, the Eagles cornerback could have been excused for believing that it was possible.
Douglas was everywhere. He broke up hitches, fades, ins and outs; he thwarted corners, posts, goes and comebacks. He didn't stop every pass. But he gave up far less than he prevented, and the rookie from the University of West Virginia worked his way up the depth chart.
Then reality set in. And it was often his veteran teammates in the secondary and his coaches who delivered the truth.
"They were, like, 'Look, young fella, they get paid just like you get paid. They're going to make some plays. You can't take away everything,'" Douglas said.
That lesson was learned during what had to feel like a continuous loop as spring workouts wound down last month. After having formidable early success, Douglas struggled during minicamp as defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz shoveled more onto his plate.
"It was strong at first because we were only running a few coverages. And once we started learning a few [more] coverages, I just started mentally messing up with a lot of checks," Douglas said on Monday after the first day of training camp. "My brain processed the first call, but once I got the second call, I had to process that, but the play was already snapped."
Douglas' setback was to be expected. It won't be his last. But what his roller coaster start in the NFL made abundantly clear is that conclusions should never be drawn after just weeks of non-contact football and that winning a starting job at cornerback as a rookie is difficult.
Even on the Eagles, who may have as many questions at the position as any team. Patrick Robinson has missed 25 games to injury over the last four seasons, and Jalen Mills has only two career starts, but the current leading candidates to start outside still have vastly more experience than Douglas.
Of the 10 cornerbacks on the roster – including rookie Sidney Jones, who could miss the entire season with an Achilles rupture — only two (Robinson and Ron Brooks) have played more than one NFL season. The Eagles released Dwayne Gratz, the only other veteran corner, on Sunday. But the relative youth – and the dearth of talent – should keep the Eagles in the market.
"We're going to continue to look and try and bring guys if we can and just create as much competition at that spot," coach Doug Pederson said. "It's obviously a spot that we're going to keep our eye on throughout camp."
The Eagles would likely prefer that Douglas just go and ahead and win a spot. But they risk impairing their third-round draft pick's confidence by pushing him ahead of Robinson. It could be a gamble worth taking because corner is perhaps the position in which you must be able to endure failure the most.
Mills was tossed into the inferno last season, and the Eagles think the burns he suffered as a rookie will only harden him for the future. But the defense was often scarred, as well, and having Douglas start opposite Mills could be a recipe for disaster – even if it lays the groundwork for a Douglas-Jones pairing.
During the final minicamp practice last month, Douglas was flagged a few times for pass interference. The final penalty, which came after the rookie grabbed receiver Alshon Jeffery on an intermediate sideline route, had Douglas howling in objection.
"Shut the [expletive] up!" cornerbacks coach Cory Undlin barked at him. "Don't grab the guy!"
Douglas' length – he's listed at 6-foot-2 and has a 75-1/2-inch wingspan – should help him vs. larger receivers, especially in red zone. But long speed isn't a strength, and if he's taking a beat too long to process a switch – as he mentioned – then he will likely be susceptible on deep throws.
He said he spent his summer break in Anaheim, Calif., training with former Saints and Colts cornerback Jason David, and worked on both the physical and mental part of playing the position. Joined by fellow rookie corners such as Adoree Jackson of the Titans and Desmond King of the Chargers, Douglas said he took only a day or two off during workouts.
"I feel like I'm ready now," he said.
It'll take weeks to determine his readiness. The Eagles won't wear pads and have their first contact periods until Friday. The first three days of camp are for rookies and selected veterans. Douglas fared well against his fellow classmates during Monday's light session.
He held Shelton Gibson a touch too long during a short route near the goal line, but kept his hands inside and the receiver on his torso. Mack Hollins had more success when he stuck his toe in the turf and caught an easy pass under Douglas.
"Today I was 1-0 against him," Hollins said.
Brooks, one of the few veterans in attendance, practiced extensively for the first time since his October quadriceps rupture. While Pederson seemed to already hand him his job for the coming season – "He's obviously our nickel corner," the coach said. – Brooks could be a dark horse for an outside spot.
No one can be counted out among this group. When a reporter asked Douglas about a secondary that could be considered the weak link of the Eagles defense, the rookie, who thought he meant the entire league, looked stunned.
"I didn't know we were the worst?" Douglas said.
Including safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod in the equation of the question was ill-advised, but narrowing it down solely to the cornerbacks is fair at this juncture. Douglas can change that perception, however. It just may take some time.