Seahawks CB Walter Thurmond could be available in free agency this offseason and could wind up being a target of Howie Roseman and the Eagles. (Image courtesy of Sports Illustrated)
Anyone with a pair of eyes realizes that the Seattle Sehawks rode the punishing, menacing, stifling defense to a 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, and every step of the way in recent seasons during their ascent.
Those same sets of eyes when focused on the Philadelphia Eagles reveal a defense that while holding 11 of the final 13 opponents in 2013 under 23 points per game, lacked the kind of playmakers in the secondary to take the next step to becoming an elite defense, as well as the ability to close out a playoff game where it was handed a lead with five minutes to play, at home.
With that in mind, perhaps it's time to look towards the Great Northwest at the blueprint drawn by the Seahawks front office and perhaps pluck a few cogs in their Super Bowl machine in free agency, which begins on March 11th.
Dating back to his days at USC, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has subscribed to the theory of building a defense from the secondary forward, as opposed to the defensive line back.
The result is a secondary littered with names such as Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond among others.
Two of those key components will be available to the Eagles and every other team when the league year opens, barring Seattle having the cap space to re-sign Browner and Thurmond, who are two of the team's 18 impending free agents.
Either Thurmond or Browner would be an ideal fit to Bill Davis' scheme as the team looks to upgrade the cornerback spot where they have very little financially tied to either Cary Williams or Bradley Fletcher who were signed as free agents last offseason.
Should the Eagles view either of Seattle's corners to be an upgrade over Williams, the team could choose to cut him and take a cap hit of $3,333,333 rather than a $4.75 million salary that makes him the highest paid corner in the league. For comparison's sake, Thurmond and Browner's cap numbers are $755,875 and $773,756 respectively.
Meanwhile, Fletcher would save the Eagles $3,650,000 if cut.
In 2013 Thurmond, 26, finished with 32 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble while Browner posted 19 tackles and one interceptions in five games.
Based on their activity at the Senior Bowl and a stated desire to bolster the defense, the Eagles have already begun the process of kicking the tires on cornerbacks this offseason. Because of their flexibility in how the Williams and Fletcher contracts were structured, the front office can be players for virtually anyone at the position.
Time will tell if the Eagles search for additional depth at cornerback or starting reinforcements leads them to potentially soon to be former Seahawks.
