The Philadelphia Eagles recently announced that they have decided to release cornerback Jason Peters, who has been named to the Pro Bowl five times during his career.
Peters was acquired by the Eagles in a trade with the Buffalo Bills in March 2009, and he quickly became one of the team’s most reliable and consistent defensive players. Over the course of his career with the Eagles, Peters has accumulated 19 interceptions, 89 passes defensed, and three forced fumbles.
Despite his impressive stats, Peters has struggled with injuries in recent years, missing a significant amount of playing time due to various ailments. Despite the fact that he is only 33 years old, Peters has already undergone surgery to repair his right achilles tendon twice since 2017.
Given his injury history and the fact that the Eagles are looking to get younger and more athletic on the defensive side of the ball, it’s not surprising that the team decided to let Peters go. While he’s been a valuable member of the Eagles organization over the years, there are simply too many question marks surrounding his durability at this point to justify keeping him on for much longer.
With Peters no longer on the roster, the Eagles will likely turn to some combination of Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox, and Sidney Jones to fill the void left in their secondary. All three of these young players have shown flashes of potential during their time with the team, and the hope is that they will continue to improve with more playing time and experience under their belts.
While it’s always sad to see a player of Peters’ caliber leave a team, the Eagles are undoubtedly making the right decision by cutting ties with him. With new head coach Nick Sirianni and a host of talented young players at their disposal, the sky is the limit for this Eagles team in 2021 and beyond.
