In a meaningless game, it's tough to define Ronald Darby's night as "revenge" on the team that traded him away, but it had to feel nice nonetheless to help the Philadelphia Eagles earn a 20-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills.
After getting duped by ex-teammate LeSean McCoy on his first play in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform, Darby showed why Howie Roseman was willing to part with a third-round pick and receiver Jordan Matthews to obtain his services.
On the second Bills drive, Darby broke up a pass and nearly intercepted it. On the third drive, he tackled tight end Charles Clay short of the sticks to force a punt. On the fourth, he put a stamp on his night, intercepting Tyrod Taylor and returning it 48 yards.
"Yeah, it's very impressive. Very exciting. Encouraging, obviously. He's definitely going to help us there in the back end," Pederson said Thursday after the game, via the team's official website. "You kind of credit some of the throws, too, to our defensive line. The pass rush was there tonight and disrupting some of the timing offensively. Our guys were in position to make plays. Mychal Kendricks again today, and then Darby had the other one. You know, it's great to see. It's great to see our defense come up with takeaways and put the offense in good situations."
Darby's performance was impressive enough for teammates to give him the game ball following the win over his former team.
If you watched the game -- or tuned it up on NFL Game Pass -- you heard NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, working for the Eagles' home broadcast, gush about Darby's natural athleticism and ultra-quick feet out of his break.
While the young corner fell off last season, Darby's fantastic 2015 rookie campaign -- runner up for Defensive Rookie of the Year -- looked a lot like his performance Thursday night. His man skills are tailor-made for Jim Schwartz's defensive style. With the NFC East wide open heading into 2017, the addition of Darby could cover the Eagles biggest weakness.