Nate Allen is 24 years old, Kurt Coleman is 23 years old and Jaiquawn Jarrett is 22. The Eagles didnt draft a safety this year, and their most experienced veteran, Tom Nelson, has three career NFL starts.
So the question for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was an obvious one: Dont you guys need to go out and sign a veteran safety?
The answer was a surprising one: Nope.
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Roseman said the Eagles are happy with what they have at safety heading into the spring mini-camps and have no plans to pursue a veteran.
I dont think we need someone with more experience, Roseman said at the NovaCare Complex Monday. We feel very comfortable with our group. I think that the intangibles of all the players that we have are very strong. So youre talking about really good leadership from that position and we feel confident that these guys come in and play at a high level.
Allen has started 25 games over the past two years but was nowhere close to 100 percent last year after suffering a torn patellar tendon late in the 2010 season. Coleman had four interceptions as a first-year starter last year but was benched mid-year after several uneven games. Jarrett, a second-round pick out of Temple last year, struggled in limited playing time without the benefit of an off-season program.
From those three, the Eagles believe they have the two starters they need.
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I think were OK there, head coach Andy Reid said. I like the things that Ive seen from our safeties. I saw them go through that maturation process. Young guys, you have to give them an opportunity to grow a little bit.
Also on the roster are Colt Anderson, a special teams ace coming off a torn ACL; Nelson, a late-season pickup a year ago; and undrafted rookie Phillip Thomas out of Syracuse.
Were excited about our group of safeties, our young group of safeties, Roseman said. You have to include Colt Anderson in there. Hes doing a great job. Well see see as we get closer towards training camp where hes at. Tom Nelson has NFL experience as well. And Phillip Thomas is a guy we had ranked a lot higher than where we got him. Exciting player.
Right now, the projected starters are Allen and Coleman, although Jarrett will get every opportunity to challenge Coleman.
A lot of fans are down on Allen, but if you focus on how he played as a rookie before his injury in the Giants game -- the DeSean Jackson comeback game -- and not on his struggles last year, you see why the Eagles remain high on him.
Nate is a guy who was playing at a really high level as a rookie and somebody we thought a lot of to draft high in the second round in 2010, Roseman said. When he got hurt in New York, and you saw this a lot with players in the league last year ... he didnt have the benefit of ... an offseason both on the field and in rehab.
Hes got really all the skills you look for in a safetyincredible athlete, hes a smart kid, hes got really good ball skills, he can cover, he can tackle, he can blitz. Hes just got to put it all together.
With Coleman, the first thing you think about is the missed tackle against the Giants along the left sideline. It turned into a 74-yard touchdown, the first career TD for a then-unknown receiver named Victor Cruz.
Coleman was benched for a couple weeks, but the Eagles went 7-4 in his last 11 starts.
Kurt Coleman is just a guy that really has been productive every time hes played for us, Roseman said. He makes plays, hes a smart guy, he can play either spot. Hes been effective on special teams. Hes just a good player.
We had a fourth-round grade on him, and we were excited to get him in the seventh round. He was by far the best player on the board when we drafted him. ... Everyone doubts him because of his size (but) hes just a guy who defies all odds and has always played at a high level.
And then theres Jarrett, who came to the Eagles with a reputation as a tremendous tackler and big hitter but showed neither quality in some late-season work.
I think last year he was doing too much thinking and not enough playing, so thats going to slow you down, Reid said. Im not telling you hes the fastest guy in the world as it is, but hes fast enough. And then you didnt see the big hits that he had at the college level, and he is a big hitter, so I think once he is comfortable with everything ... were expecting big things.
Guys like Jarrett, Curtis Marsh and Casey Matthews suffered from the lockout more than anybody. Rookie defensive players learning a new scheme at a new level without benefit of offseason workouts or minicamps seemed to have particular trouble adjusting.
When youre a safety, and especially a guy like him Jarrettwhose biggest plus is his ability to see it and go and make an explosive playif you have to think, that ... sets you back, Roseman said.
And in this game, in this league, its just too fast. Its hard to do that. So being in an off-season, and getting in a playbook, feeling much more comfortable, is really going to help him.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com