The Safety Situation

Posted: May 18th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

One of the few mystery spots on the Eagles loaded roster is safety. Both starters from last year are gone. The Eagles will replace them with a mixture of rookies, holdovers and free agents. That doesn’t sound encouraging, but I think the group has the potential to be better than some might expect.

  • Reed Blankenship
  • Terrell Edmunds
  • Sydney Brown
  • Justin Evans
  • K’Von Wallace
  • Tristin McCollum

Blankenship started four games last year and played well. He showed the ability to fly down hill and support the run. He was a good hitter and physical tackler. He had an impressive INT off Aaron Rodgers. Blankenship didn’t look like a rookie, let alone a UDFA. He was impressive.

Blankenship wasn’t just an athlete running around showing off speed. He wasn’t a box safety showing off physicality. He was smart and prepared. He was good in coverage. Blankenship was aggressive, trusting his eyes and then bursting to the ball, whether in coverage or against the run. He was confident. Compare that to K’Von Wallace and his first couple of years. He struggled to see things, make quick decisions and play fast. Blankenship did it right away and that’s very promising for his future. I’ll be surprised if he’s not a starter this year. I think he’s a player you want on the field.

Since none of the players is a sure thing, there will be competition for the starting roles and the #3 safety spot, which can be key in some looks.

Rookie Sydney Brown is a fascinating player. Howie Roseman referred to him as a “red star player” after the draft. That means he is someone the Eagles loved on and off the field. Brown picked off 6 passes as a senior (10 for his career). He then had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and a great workout at the Combine. You can see why the Eagles would love him. Brown was a leader at Illinois and team captain. His coach, Brett Bielema, compared Brown to Bob Sanders, whom Bielema coached at Iowa. For those who don’t remember, Sanders was an undersized, explosive safety who was All Pro twice and was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. That’s one heck of a compliment.

Brown was a big time playmaker at Illinois and then he was fantastic in Mobile.

Here is what I wrote about him after the Combine:

Sydney Brown had a terrific season for Illinois, stood out at the Senior Bowl and then was great in Indy. What a year for him. He’s 5-11, 211 and is chiseled. Brown posted some great numbers.

40 – 4.47
10 – 1.51
Bench – 23 reps
Vertical – 40.5
Broad – 10’10”

Wow. That is one athletic dude. He can hit/tackle. Good cover skills. Good hands. He’s looked at as a mid-round guy by some. I see a guy who shouldn’t make it out of the 3rd round and could go in the 2nd.

One of the things you love about Brown is his energy. He flies around the field. He’s not reckless. Brown reads plays and then flies to the ball. He brings juice to the field, probably in practice and games. He can be a tone-setter. This is a guy you want running the back end of your defense. His energy can be infectious and you want that (as opposed to Jimmy Bama’s kind of infectious…but keep that our secret).

I get the feeling the Eagles will give Brown every chance to win a starting role. He’ll have to earn it, but they would love for him to carve out a role this year. Brown signed his contract on Thursday and will be ready to go.

Before the draft, the Eagles signed Terrell Edmunds to give them a safety with starting experience. He started 75 games during his five years in Pittsburgh and proved to be an effective starter. Edmunds is big at 6-1, 217. I think he’s better in the box than playing split safety. He would be ideal for the #3 safety in a Big Nickel look.

It certainly is possible that Edmunds will win a starting role. Coaches love experience on the back end of the defense. Coverage mistakes lead to big plays and/or TDs. Edmunds experience will make the coaches take a long look at him.

Justin Evans is the real wild card. He’s got 25 career starts, but also missed three years (2019-2021). He has the talent and athleticism to be a starting safety in the NFL. Injuries have been his biggest issue. Evans played in 15 games last year (four starts) and was a key role player for a Saints defense that was Top 10.

Evans is versatile. He looks comfortable playing deep or as a nickel. He showed playmaking ability as a rookie in 2017, picking off 3 passes.

He is intriguing. The key for him is to stay healthy. If he does that, he’s got a legit shot to make the roster and carve out a role.

Wallace has been disappointing in his time with the Eagles, but is coming off his best season. He showed promise last year so that might boost his confidence and help him to play well this summer. Wallace will have to fight just to earn a roster spot this year. Maybe that will bring out the best in him.

McCollum is more camp body than legit prospect, but he is a terrific athlete and is in the second year of his career so he’s got a bit of a feel for life in the NFL. We’ll see what he does.

I think the ideal situation would be Brown and Blankenship as the starting safeties and then Edmunds and Evans as key role players. Would the B & B Boys make the Eagles too young at safety? That’s possible, but I think having veteran DBs like Slay, Bradberry and Maddox around them would make that less of an issue. At the end of the day, you want your best players on the field.

Brown and Blankenship are both tough, physical players. They hit and tackle well. They attack the ball. Both have good hands and ball skills. They could form one heckuva safety tandem. Edmunds and Evans will both be hungry to have jobs so they’ll battle all spring and summer. Wallace should be desperate as well. We’ll see if that gets him to elevate his play.

The Eagles don’t have Wes Hopkins or Brian Dawkins or Malcolm Jenkins in the deep patrol, but they do have some talented players with interesting potential. It should be fun to see how things shake out on the back end of the defense.

_

One Comment on “The Safety Situation”

  1. 1 The Linc – PFF says the Eagles “had another outstanding offseason” - Balance Sportscast said at 2:05 PM on May 19th, 2023:

    […] The Safety Situation – Iggles BlitzI think the ideal situation would be Brown and Blankenship as the starting safeties and then Edmunds and Evans as key role players. Would the B & B Boys make the Eagles too young at safety? That’s possible, but I think having veteran DBs like Slay, Bradberry and Maddox around them would make that less of an issue. At the end of the day, you want your best players on the field. Brown and Blankenship are both tough, physical players. They hit and tackle well. They attack the ball. Both have good hands and ball skills. They could form one heckuva safety tandem. Edmunds and Evans will both be hungry to have jobs so they’ll battle all spring and summer. Wallace should be desperate as well. We’ll see if that gets him to elevate his play. The Eagles don’t have Wes Hopkins or Brian Dawkins or Malcolm Jenkins in the deep patrol, but they do have some talented players with interesting potential. It should be fun to see how things shake out on the back end of the defense. […]