The Philadelphia Eagles have some concerns with a major position on the roster entering training camp: safety.
A lot happened with the position, including losing Reed Blankenship to the Houston Texans in free agency and then trading Sydney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons. That left Philly with no choice but to bring back Marcus Epps to be one of the starters.
The other starting safety position will most likely be second-year player Andrew Mukuba, who is coming back from fracturing his ankle late last season. Pro Football Focus writer Bradley Locker included Mukuba on his list of players who are in a make-or-break season on a contender in the hopes that the 2025 second-round pick will have a breakout year.
"The Eagles lost Reed Blankenship in free agency and dealt Sydney Brown, but didn’t make any legitimate additions to their safety room. That leaves Mukuba and Marcus Epps as the projected starters. With a tremendous young core, Philadelphia figures to field a strong defense in 2026, but the unit (and team) would return to title contender status if Mukuba can break out."
Andrew Mukuba is being leaned on to step up and get the job done for Philly
Last season was not the best start for Mukuba in coverage, but he was getting better in November before his injury. He finished the season with 46 tackles, three pass deflections, two interceptions, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and half a sack in 11 games.
His coverage skills needed some work in the offseason, as he allowed a 64% completion percentage and a passer rating with targets to him. PFF gave him a coverage grade of 46.9, the 11th-worst among qualified safeties.
There is a belief that Mukuba can be a good starting safety in the NFL. Eagles fans saw the potential he has in creating turnovers and being a guy who can play in the box as a versatile weapon.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is going to lean on Mukuba a lot more this season, with Epps being a strong veteran but not having the skill set that Mukuba has. The Eagles need Mukuba to become the guy they were hoping he would be when they selected him in the draft.
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It might be premature to call this a make-or-break season for Mukuba, but it is one where he has to improve his performance. If he doesn't, the Eagles might have to act quickly at safety since the team has Super Bowl aspirations.
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