There's a lot of lessons that a rookie learns in their first year in the NFL, but Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba had one that he will never forget about from his defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Mukuba showed flashes of being a good safety last year, but there were definitely some rookie moments. One came in the Week 6 loss to the New York Giants on Thursday night when he missed tackles and had broken coverage throughout the game. The now-second-year defender shared with Go Long's Tyler Dunne what happened after that game and how Fangio treated him from that moment.
"I f****d up that game," Mukuba said. "After that game? Vic was on my a**, man, for a whole three weeks straight until I got right. He was on my a**...Vic didn't like me that game."
Vic Fangio held Andrew Mukuba accountable for bad game with Eagles
Mukuba ended up turning in a decent rookie season for the Eagles as he racked up 46 tackles, three pass deflections, two interceptions, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and a half sack in 11 games before missing the end of the season with a broken ankle. Pro Football Focus graded him out at a 57.6, ranking 76th out of 98 eligible safeties in the NFL.
There's plenty to work on with Mukuba in his development going into Year 2, but that playmaking ability is there with him. He just needs to clean up his tackling and get better in coverage, which he did show before his injury.
Fangio is a tough coach who will get on his players when they make mistakes. It's why he has been a successful defensive coordinator at this level for so long. That style of coaching has led to the Eagles being a top 13 defense in each of his first two seasons in Philly, and in each year, he has been nominated for Assistant Coach of the Year.
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The Eagles' safety position is in a tough spot heading into the 2026 season with Reed Blankenship no longer on the roster, so Fangio is only going to coach Mukuba harder to get him to the level the Eagles need. Watch for the former second-round pick to have a breakout season for the Eagles and show Fangio why he is worthy of being in his secondary.
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