Nolan Carroll appears to be in midseason form.
In the Philadelphia Eagles preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday evening, Carroll let his play do the talking. The former Maryland cornerback picked off Landry Jones and returned the interception for a touchdown.
With 9:18 left in the first quarter, the Steelers began their second drive at their own 32-yard line. Jones dropped back to pass and was looking to hit speedy wide receiver Sammie Coates on a short curl route.
However, Carroll was able to overpower Coates and step in front of Jones’ pass. He then returned it 38 yards for the touchdown and gave the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
🚨🚨PICK-6 ALERT!🚨🚨@Eagles CB Nolan Carroll takes Landry Jones' pass to the HOUSE. #PHIvsPIT https://t.co/u5DQkcby0m
— NFL (@NFL) August 18, 2016
The interception touchdown wasn’t the only play that Carroll made in the early portion of the game.
On the first play from scrimmage, Jones took a shot downfield and attempted to find another former Terrapin in wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey. However, Carroll stayed with the speedy Heyward-Bey every step of the way and knocked the ball away at the last moment.
Carroll is making an impact early on this preseason and it certainly bodes well for his position on the Eagles depth chart.
In 2015, Philadelphia signed former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell to a huge contract. It didn’t work out as the Eagles traded Maxwell to the Miami Dolphins this past offseason.
The team did sign Leodis McKelvin, but it would appear that Carroll could start once again in 2016. Carroll started 11 games last season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.
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The former Maryland cornerback recorded 41 tackles, two interceptions (one for touchdown), and 10 defended passes. Carroll agreed to a one-year contract in the offseason to remain in Philadelphia.