One of the most trite narratives in the NFL since the 2009 departure of all-time great safety Brian Dawkins has been the Philadelphia Eagles‘ lack of ability to replace him. Numerous draft picks have been used on the position to no avail; many free agents have come and gone without ever coming close to making a positive impact on the secondary. Last year’s signing of safety Malcolm Jenkins was a step in the right direction, but the glue that was needed to fix the middling secondary has come in the form of this year’s free agent signing, Walter Thurmond.