Safety Dance

On the heels of losing safety Reed Blankenship, who departed in in the early stages of free agency, the Eagles continued their remodeling of the safety room.

Late Friday afternoon, the Eagles traded away fourth-year safety Sydney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons, a league source confirmed the initial report from ESPN. The Eagles acquire picks Nos. 144 and 197 in exchange for Nos. 122, 215 and Brown.

Brown, the No. 66 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, never caught on defensively under coordinator Vic Fangio and was almost exclusively related to special teams, where he thrived. In 2025, Brown appeared in all 17 regular season games (three starts), accounting for 249 defensive snaps and 332 on special teams. He produced 34 tackles.

GETTY IMAGES: Sydney Brown, a once-promising Eagles third-round pick, never fit into their defense and was traded to Atlanta.

A knee injury suffered in the season finale of his rookie season deprived Brown of his first offseason of preparation and abbreviated his second campaign. The Illinois product would ultimately return to action in October of 2024, though only briefly moonlighting on defense. Afforded his first full offseason heading into 2025, Brown took center stage in a position battle with rookie Drew Mukuba for the starting role opposite mainstay Blankenship.

While Brown enjoyed a steady, if unspectacular, summer, Mukuba — the team’s second-round pick — performed well enough to earn the starting nod.

Brown, evidently an unideal fit for Fangio’s scheme, will now be presented with a fresh start in a new city, where he’s sure to provide an endless supply of energy, passion and physicality. His Eagles career wrapped after 42 games (nine starts), with Brown registering 86 tackles (one for loss), five passes defended, two forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions – one that he returned for a 99-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals as a rookie.

Sensible as the trade was, removing Brown from the equation left the Eagles razor thin at the position, albeit temporarily. The Eagles wasted little time bolstering the position in the moments that followed, agreeing to terms with safeties Marcus Epps and J.T. Gray on one-year deals, a league source confirmed.

Epps, 30, returns to the Eagles following a season in which he appeared in 12 games, accumulating 21 tackles (one for loss). The veteran would end up logging four regular season (and one postseason) starts in place of the injured Mukuba. Epps, a 2019 sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, signed to the Eagles’ practice squad in August and was promoted to the active roster in late September.

The Wyoming product is a position stabilizer who plays with toughness and a profound understanding of Fangio’s scheme, and is expected to serve an important depth role as the Eagles rebuild the position group.

As for Gray, 30, the Mississippi State product has carved out an eight-year career as a special teams ace, earning All-Pro nods due to his third phase prowess in 2019, 2021 and 2024. His performance in 2021 also earned Gray a Pro Bowl berth. The six-foot, 202-pound Gray was a longtime special teams captain in New Orleans and has made his mark as an outstanding gunner. Should he survive roster cutdowns, Gray would replace Brown’s production as a core-four contributor. To put Gray’s career contributions into context, over 103 regular season games, 153 snaps have come on defense – compared to 2,231 on special teams.

Last season, Gray bounced between three teams, as the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all presented opportunities. He appeared in five games.

The safety room is now comprised of Mukuba, Epps, Gray and holdover Andre’ Sam, a third-year pro whom the Eagles like. Second-year pro Brandon Johnson, a nickel by trade who last season cross-trained at safety, should garner looks there in the spring and summer.

But the one name to keep on would be veteran defensive back Michael Carter II. The Eagles value his versatility and the belief is that he will be in the safety mix. Carter, you may recall, came on for an injured Johnson at safety in the season finale and looked comfortable patrolling the middle of the Eagles’ secondary.

Recent tinkering aside, the presumption is that the room isn’t complete.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com