Steelers trade future 5th rounder for Eagles CB Boykin
Boykin cared enough about Kelly to clarify. I have no hatred toward him, nothing to say negative about him. I can only comment on what I’ve experienced here, and it’s been exact opposite of what Brandon said. When he got [to Philadelphia], I didn’t know what to expect. It’s just about the team. “(Boykin) was the one guy that was attractive to other teams out there”. Bradford recovered and took part in training camp with the Rams last summer before he blew out the same knee again.
It was an interesting first day for the birds with plenty more to unfold over the coming days.
Boykin instantly joined the Steelers’ practices after the commerce as famous by the workforce’s official Twitter account. In his defense, it isn’t easy to call out your boss when your contract isn’t guaranteed.
He certainly embraces the change and took a parting shot at Kelly on his way out the door, telling a Philadelphia reporter the Eagles head coach was “uncomfortable around grown men of our culture”. “He can’t relate and that makes him uncomfortable”. And there’s been a lot of that since Kelly was given total control of personnel. Players exceed expectations when you let them normally be who they are, and as far as I can tell that hasn’t been imperative to him, however you all have heard this before me.
Kelly said there are several candidates to replace Boykin, including rookie sixth-round pick JaCorey Shepherd, as well as E.J. Biggers, Jaylen Watkins and maybe even Malcolm Jenkins.
Well now the Steelers have made their biggest move of the off-season, adding third year veteran cornerback Brandon Boykin in a trade with the Eagles. This is a prime time for Josh Huff to show Chip Kelly just how versatile and deadly he really is.
Boykin (5-9, 183), at the least, gets a chance to start with the Steelers that was unavailable in Philly basically because Kelly and defensive coordinator Billy Davis prefer longer, taller corners. So who fills his role in the slot? Philadelphia selected Boykin in the fourth round of the 2012 draft out of the University of Georgia. On paper, it’s a deal that makes the Eagles a bit weaker in the secondary, but in the end it was the right thing to do. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said the Steelers got a “ready-made starter” in Boykin. He said that the cornerback was “stunned” when he was told of the trade on Saturday night.
“(Kelly) gave me an opportunity to play”, Boykin said. “He didn’t say anything”.
Boykin and McCoy both brought up an important theme of Chip Kelly that has nothing to do with race. He said there’s always been an open-door policy. But the fact that this has been said or suggested about him by numerous former players/coaches this off-season isn’t a good look.