Early Results Of Eagles' Massive Gamble Looks No Good
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There's a youth movement in the Philadelphia Eagles' secondary. The front office decided to take a couple of major gambles over the offseason, showing faith in their young core.
While it's still early, one of the developing players the Eagles are banking on is reportedly off to a rough start. The veteran safety, Sydney Brown, was recently listed as a "stock down" candidate after spring practices, according to the Philly Voice.
"Brown got first-team reps, but he had to split them with rookie Andrew Mukuba," writes Philly Voice's Jimmy Kempski. "It was also probably not a great sign for Vic Fangio's trust in Brown when Fangio said that DeJean might play some safety in the base defense."
When it comes to the core guys in the secondary, the Eagles have already been relying heavily on Reed Blankenship and Quinyon Mitchell. Throughout the 2024 NFL season, Cooper DeJean established himself as a major player, boosting his responsibilities for his sophomore effort.
The Eagles made a major change at the safety position back in March, when they cut ties with the veteran standout, CJ Gardner-Johnson. In a shocking move, the Eagles decided to send Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, despite investing in a three-year deal with the safety, bringing him back for a second stint with the team.
Members of the Eagles' organization claimed that the decision to move off Gardner-Johnson was due to cap purposes. The veteran safety denied that it was the case, leaving the outsiders to interpret the breakup however they would like.
Sydney Brown #21 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with teammates after an interception in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 05, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sydney Brown #21 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with teammates after an interception in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on January 05, 2025 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaEither way, the Eagles made multiple big changes in the secondary, and that came with an increase in opportunities for Sydney Brown.
Last year, Brown appeared in 11 games for the Eagles. He played just 12 percent of Philadelphia's defensive snaps after seeing the field for 35 percent of the team's snaps in 14 games one year prior. Brown was mostly utilized in a special-teams setting during their long road to Super Bowl LIX.
So far, the analysis of Brown's spring isn't promising for the Eagles. Fortunately for them, it's still very early. The Eagles will be back in action for training camp in July, giving Brown a better chance to convince the Eagles that he's the right guy for the job in the defensive backfield. If he can't earn the proper reps during the regular season, the Eagles seem to be open to shifting some players around to make it work out with the current personnel for the time being.
For more Philadelphia Eagles and NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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