From the moment he had his first unofficial pick-six in the preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles rookie second-round pick safety Andrew Mukuba was always destined to be a potential star in this defense.
He earned that right when he was surprisingly named the starter at the last second over Sydney Brown for the first regular-season game against the Dallas Cowboys. Mukuba and Brown have been splitting time depending on the defensive package through the first three weeks, with Mukuba getting the slight edge. Brown was mostly playing in Base packages.
The separation between Mukuba and Brown started to become noticeable once Mukuba nabbed his first career interception in the Eagles' win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. Eagles fans knew the inevitable was going to happen.
That moment finally came in the Eagles' 31-25 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mukuba had done something he had never done before: played 100% of the defensive snaps in the game. Brown only had one snap on defense.
It wasn't a perfect day at the office for Mukuba as he allowed a long ball touchdown in the second half. Outside of some coverage issues, he played well. He finished with six tackles and one tackle for loss.
Vic Fangio closed the argument between Mukuba and Brown once and for all
Everyone took notice of the snap count between the two safeties, and that led to the media asking Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio about Mukuba's status. It was a quick and easy response from the man, delivered in a few, but concise words.
“Right now he’s playing full-time.”
There it is. The title of "full-time starter" finally goes to Mukuba. Eagles fans have been waiting for Fangio to echo those words for over a month.
Philly's latest excellent rookie defender earned the right to be the full-time starter after four solid games. He's racked up 19 tackles, two tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, and one pass deflection.
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The doubt is no longer hovering over the secondary. Reed Blankenship has found his running mate for the season with Mukuba. A combination the Eagles hope they have found for a long time in Philly.