Through five weeks, Walter Thurmond continues to be a godsend for the Philadelphia Eagles defense. The former fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks wasn’t even supposed to be a safety for his new team in Philly; in five previous years in the NFL, Thurmond had never played a single snap at safety.
After tearing his pectoral muscle early in 2014 and missing 14 games, Chip Kelly signed him as a buy-low option this past offseason with the hope that Thurmond could provide depth at cornerback. Then the position became too crowded, and Thurmond accepted the offer from the coaching staff to compete for the starting safety job.
Thurmond ended up beating out a pair of recent fifth-round picks in Earl Wolff and Ed Reynolds in training camp, and entered the season as the starter opposite Jenkins. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see Thurmond struggle; after all, he had never been more than a depth cornerback in his career, and starting regularly at safety was sure to be a stretch.
But Thurmond has provided an uncanny ability to make plays in the secondary. He recorded an interception in Week 1, then another in Week 3, and another in Sunday’s win over Drew Brees, nearly returning this one for a touchdown.
Through five weeks, Pro Football Focus rates Thurmond as the fourth-best safety in the league, trailing just some notables in Harrison Smith, Eric Berry, and Devin McCourty. Thurmond has received positive marks in every facet of his game – coverage, rushing the passer, and playing the run.
He’s tied for his position lead in quarterback hits (2). He’s behind just future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson in interceptions at 3. He’s successfully converted on over 93 percent of his tackle attempts, which makes him one of the more efficient run-stopping safeties in the league. And he’s been incredibly durable, having suited up for 392 of a possible 396 snaps on defense, which is more than any other defensive player in the NFL except his teammate, Malcolm Jenkins.
It’s safe to say the Eagles couldn’t possibly have expected this; otherwise, they wouldn’t have signed him to just a one-year deal.
Thurmond has dealt with injuries his whole career. He’s been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs previously. He’s played in just 41 of a possible 85 games since entering the league in 2010, and recorded just one interception entering this season.
But Walter Thurmond does fit the prototypical mold of hybrid corner/safety that Kelly prefers.
He’s a similar player to his safety counterpart, Jenkins, in that Thurmond can cover wide receivers when needed. That coverage ability – and the fact that Thurmond is a former Oregon Duck – is clearly what attracted Kelly to Thurmond.
It’s impossible to say whether Walter Thurmond’s success will last. At just 5’11”, 183 pounds, he’s clearly undersized for a safety, which is why he was drafted into the league as a cornerback. There’s not much in Thurmond’s past to think he could break out as he had so far in 2015, but new Eagles defensive coach Cory Undlin has done a phenomenal job at maximizing Thurmond’s performance this season.
If the 2-3 Eagles can bounce back and make some noise in the NFC East race, they’re going to need Thurmond to continue his stellar campaign.
