Eagles news: K’Von Wallace has Gannon’s support, Anthony Harris’ role

The Tuesday that follows a Philadelphia Eagles regular season game is always a busy one at the NovaCare Complex. Coordinators meet with members of the media. We begin to hear early-week theories about who’s hurt, what’s wrong with them, and when they may be back in the lineup.

The Chicago Bears are on the horizon. As always, there’s much to discuss, particularly at the safety position.

Since the early stages of the preseason, we’ve witnessed a 180-degree turn before completing the full 360. Once seen as the weakest link in a strong chain (i.e. the roster), the addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson changed that, as did the unexpected emergence of Reed Blankenship. Now, they’re both injured.

Faster than you can say ‘Fly Eagles Fly’, production from K’Von Wallace has become important. In Week 14 versus the New York Giants, he tallied five tackles following Blankenship’s exit on the dreaded medical cart. His coaches seem happy with his performance, but is he a long-term answer?

Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon answered that question with a ‘yes’ as he was the first of Philly’s coordinators to meet with the media. Here’s his take on Mr. Wallace and what he expects.

"He played well. He came in, and that’s what we’ve been talking (about) all along. K’Von always gets mentioned in that. He played some high-leverage snaps for us when he comes in the game. I expect K’Von to go in there and play well, you know? He’s started (three games last year) and played winning football for us. So, I feel very comfortable with K’Von going in, and T thought he did a good job. Anyone that has a jersey on game day, there can’t be a drop-off if we have injuries, nicks or whatever the case may be. They have to be psychologically prepped to go in the game and execute at a high level, which I thought he did."

Expect to see more of Number 42 in the lineup as he should get the start in Week 15 versus Chicago.

More Eagles news: Philadelphia welcomes Anthony Harris back to the nest.

And, just like that, Anthony Harris begins another stint with the Philadelphia Eagles. Every unclaimed free agent knows to adopt the same mindset when it comes to the 18-week, 17-game grind that is the NFL. Stay in shape. Stay ready.

For those that may have forgotten, Anthony Harris spent the 2021 season with the Birds, starting all 14 of his regular-season appearances and in Philadelphia’s Wild Card Game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He rewarded his team’s confidence with 85 total tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception during those 15 games.

He racked up 13 total stops in that playoff game. He even took time out to stand in at a father/daughter dance for a young fan. No one has ever questioned who Harris is as a person. The questions were about whether or not he was a long-term answer at safety.

The past few months have been a whirlwind for him. Signed to a one-year deal on March 18th, he was released on August 30th after the Eagles traded for C. J. Gardner-Johnson, but he was signed to the practice squad the next day.

On September 5th, he and Philadelphia mutually agreed to terminate his contract. He signed with the Denver Broncos practice squad on September 14th, was promoted to the active roster on November 8th, and was released on December 6th. Things have come full circle. He’s back and is expected to help the Birds win games until Blankenship or Gardner-Johnson can return.

Currently, he sits on the Eagles’ practice squad. The expectation, however, is he’ll be elevated on game days. Philadelphia is allowed to elevate him three times before they need to make any determinations about whether they want to add him to the 53-man roster.

There are some advantages here. One revolves around the fact that he’s already familiar with Jonathan Gannon’s scheme.