The Philadelphia Eagles have placed a tremendous amount of faith in a pair of young stars in their secondary in cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell.
General manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have so much confidence in those 2, in fact, that they felt safe letting standout cornerback Darius Slay leave in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers and traded star safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans.
While DeJeaan and Mitchell do seem like the future of Philadelphia’s defense, it might be smart for the Eagles to bring in an insurance policy in the form of a veteran. In this case, there’s a familiar face available with free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas.
Douglas, who has 19 career interceptions, started his career with the Eagles and won a Super Bowl as a rookie following the 2017 season. He started 15 games for the Buffalo Bills in 2024.
“The 29-year-old also has a history of quickly adapting to new defensive environments,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote. “He latched on with the Green Bay Packers in 2021 and immediately made a difference. He did the same after being traded to Buffalo in 2023 … Douglas would be a strong fit for a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.”
That fits the Eagles to a tee as they try to win a second consecutive Super Bowl in 2025.
Douglas Went From Eagles to NFL Journeyman
Douglas was an All-Big 12 player at West Virginia before the Eagles drafted him in the third round (No. 99 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. He started 5 games as a rookie and had 2 interceptions on the way to winning a Super Bowl that season.
Douglas was a part-time starter for 3 seasons in Philadelphia before he was waived in September 2020, kicking off a wild ride around the NFL. Since being waived by the Eagles, Douglas has played for the Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Bills.
Douglas has been a full time starter at every stop since leaving the Eagles. He has approximately $25.2 million in career earnings through 2024, with the bulk of that coming from a 3-year, $21 million contract he signed with the Packers in March 2022.
PFF Labels Douglas Top ‘Bounce Back’ Candidate
PFF’s Zolton Buday put Douglas on his list of the top “bounce-back” players in the NFL in 2025 — the only player on the list who doesn’t currently have a team.
Spotrac projects Douglas’ next contract as a 3-year, $35.7 million contract, which is just a pie in the sky number. The Eagles could probably get Douglas on a 1-year $5 million contract at this point.
“His underwhelming 2024 campaign may help explain why he remains unsigned,” Buday wrote on May 26. “Douglas posted a 53.9 PFF overall grade, 102nd out of 116 qualifying cornerbacks, and his 51.6 coverage grade ranked 103rd … Despite his disappointing 2024 season, Douglas’ recent track record and the fact that he turns just 30 at the start of the season make him a strong bounce-back candidate for any team needing veteran cornerback help.”
In terms of playoff experience — which the Eagles should put a premium on — Douglas has played in the postseason for 3 different teams and been in the playoffs 6 out of his 8 NFL seasons.
