Sixth-round rookie JaCorey Shepherd has enough self-belief that he didn't need a vote of confidence heading into his first NFL Training Camp. But last night, he got one anyway.
In trading Brandon Boykin to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2016 draft pick, Chip Kelly and the Eagles put their faith in a revamped secondary that includes seven players who were not on the Eagles roster in 2014, four of them rookies. Throughout the spring, Shepherd spent much of practice mirroring Boykin as the rookie transitioned not only to the NFL but to a new position. On Sunday, Shepherd was the one who got the first crack at replacing Boykin with the first-team defense.