May 9, 2023   2 MIN READ

New And … Improved?

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The Eagles enacted a small, but telling transaction Monday when they announced that reserve safety Andre Chachere was waived.

Chachere, after two seasons with the Eagles, has been primarily a special-teamer for the Eagles over the past two, playing 77% of special teams snaps last year, 76% in his first season.

Chachere benefitted from his role as a special teams standout and hybrid defensive back for an ultra-thin team at safety, which enabled the San Jose State product to also play 128 defensive snaps in his two-year Eagles career.

Andre Chachere

GETTY IMAGES: The Birds, having remade the safety spot, waived Andre Chachere

But the Eagles, whose coverage issues on special teams haunted them in the Super Bowl, have replenished the position this offseason to the point where they were comfortable moving on from Chachere.

They signed veteran starter Terrell Edmunds in free agency, along with Justin Evans, an oft-injured but tremendously athletic safety. They used a third-round pick on former Illinois safety Sydney Brown, making Brown their highest-drafted safety since 2011.

They also welcome back last year’s undrafted rookie surprise Reed Blankenship, who’s emergence in training camp last year helped pushed veteran free-agent signing Jaquiski Tartt out the door.

Blankenship, out of Middle Tennessee State, even started four games and picked off Aaron Rodgers for his first career interception.

Chachere was probably set to battle fourth-year backup K’Von Wallace, a disappointing 2020 fourth-round pick, for the fifth safety spot, assuming the Eagles keep five, which isn’t a sure shot.

Last year, the Eagles kept four going into the season – C.J. Gardner Johnson, Marcus Epps, Wallace and Blankenship – but carried hybrid defensive back Josiah Scott as insurance.

The Eagles must believe they’ve upgraded their depth at safety and on special teams with the additions of Evans, Brown and others to say goodbye to Chachere.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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About The Author

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Geoff Mosher is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the Eagles, the NFL and other college and pro sports across several different multimedia platforms. He is co-host of the acclaimed Inside the Birds podcast, the leading podcast for intel on the Philadelphia Eagles, and co-host on 97.3 ESPN's drive-time show. He has also hosted on Philadelphia's sports-talk station, 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. Geoff was the lead Eagles Insider from 2012-2015 for NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he wrote for the website and appeared daily on the station's TV shows, including Quick Slants, Philly Sports Talk, Eagles Pregame/Postgame Live and Eagles Extra. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Geoff worked the Eagles beat from 2005-2012 for the Wilmington News Journal, where he broke several major news stories and also won an Associated Press Sports Editors award under the category of Breaking News for his coverage of the sudden death of Phillies play by play broadcaster Harry Kalas. Geoff has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, NFL Network, NBC Sports Network, FOX29, 6ABC and has conducted interviews for Sirius/XM NFL radio and countless other radio stations across the country.

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