Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles enjoyed something last season they haven't seen since the heady days of Brian Dawkins and Mike Lewis - quality safety play. And while one half of the Eagles' starting safety tandem from 2015, Pro Bowler Malcolm Jenkins, was rewarded this offseason with a lucrative long-term contract extension, his partner in deep-patrolling crime, Walter Thurmond, may well be headed for the door. On the first day of the NFL's rookie scouting combine in Indianapolis, Les Bowen of Philly.com revealed that "it doesn't look great" for the Eagles and Thurmond where a new deal is concerned.
In fact, an official offer hasn't even been made to the corner-turned safety.
Thurmond, 28, entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks. He struggled through injuries every season of his career before joining Philly in 2015 and playing through a full 16-game slate for the very first time. That doesn't necessarily mean that Thurmond is on the way out, but it sure sounds like he'll be testing the NFL free agency waters come March 9.
Thurmond, alongside Jenkins, played well this past season. He collected 71 tackles, 2 sacks and 3 interceptions as he teamed up with the versatile Jenkins to provide a quality presence on the back-end. Unfortunately, Thurmond's injury history and recent comments - he told Bowen's Philly.com compatriot, Zach Berman, that he knows he's "not a spring chicken anymore" and that this may be his last chance at a big NFL contract - could mean that his ask is simply out of line with what the market, or the Eagles, are offering. He played last season under a one-year, $3.25 million deal.
There's no denying that Thurmond and Jenkins provided stability to a notoriously unstable safety spot in 2015, even if Thurmond's tackling left something to be desired. But Jenkins was ultimately rewarded - time will tell if, and by whom, Thurmond will be as well.
