PHILADELPHIA – Brandon Boykin is expected to help improve the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive secondary. That makes it a little strange that he wasn’t able to improve the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary.
Boykin, 25, was traded from the Eagles to the Steelers Saturday night for a conditional fifth-round draft choice. The trade, finalized on the eve of the Eagles’ 2015 training camp, gives the team some value for a player who just did not fit into their defensive scheme.
As a fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 2012, the 5-foot-9 (or so) Boykin started four games at cornerback as a rookie. He played mostly in nickel packages, covering other teams’ slot receivers. But the 2012 Eagles were a mess on defense. Juan Castillo, the offensive-line-coach-turned-defensive-coordinator, was fired midway through the season. He was replaced by defensive backs coach Todd Bowles, who is now head coach of the New York Jets.
When Chip Kelly was hired as the Eagles head coach in 2013, he brought a system based on sorting players by their physical characteristics. The undersized Boykin was too short to start on the outside. Playing in the slot, Boykin intercepted six passes in 2013, including one that sealed the Eagles’ NFC East-clinching victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Boykin was open about his desire to start. The Eagles stuck with their physical qualifications, which meant Boykin played in the slot again in 2014. Meanwhile, starting cornerbacks Bradley Fletcher and, to a lesser extent, Cary Williams had the height. But they were torched by wide receivers like Dez Bryant, Jordy Nelson and Odell Beckham Jr.
Kelly set about rebuilding his secondary in 2015. Fletcher’s contract expired, and he signed with New England. Williams was released and signed with Seattle. Safety Nate Allen went to Oakland as a free agent.
Kelly signed free agents Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond. He used three draft picks on defensive backs Eric Rowe, JaCorey Shepherd and Randall Evans. During OTAs and the team’s June minicamp, Thurmond lined up at Allen’s old safety spot. Maxwell and Nolan Carroll were the starters at cornerback.
But Kelly wants an all-out competition for those jobs. While Boykin was said to be in that competition, it was clear that the coaching staff still viewed him as too short to be a serious candidate. That belief was confirmed when the Eagles traded Boykin away.
Boykin was going into the final year of his contract. With no chance to be a starter in Philadelphia, he had little chance of getting the kind of contract he hoped for. In Pittsburgh, Boykin will get a chance to compete for a starting cornerback job and earn a contract in line with that status.