Sydney Brown had plenty of reps during the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 12 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, and rather than rising to the occasion, he performed, unfortunately, as expected.
The diminutive third-year safety was forced into action due to an injury to Reed Blankenship with his thigh. Then, Andrew Mukuba is now sidelined with a lower leg injury, requiring him to wear a walking boot and use crutches.
Brown has a bit of a cult following in Philadelphia for his ferocious, tenacious play, which at times has led to plenty of "stupid" penalties, most notably a brawl in the 2024 season that resulted in a suspension.
It was not a good night for Brown in Dallas
While no one can doubt Brown's effort, it often seems that when things run amok on the Eagles' defense or special teams units, Brown is caught in the middle of it. With injuries aplenty in the secondary, Brown was forced into the backend with not only the injury to Blankenship, but also Adoree' Jackson leaving the game due to a concussion, forcing Cooper DeJean to go to the outside cornerback position.
Brown put together a defensive performance marked by plenty of missed tackles and assignments, despite his best efforts (which no one doubts). At some point, the Eagles need to have a candid conversation about Brown's future in the secondary once his rookie contract expires after the 2026 season.
While Brown has provided value on special teams, he came under fire this week for his inability to finish a block on Cowboys reserve defensive back Alijah Clark, who, despite losing his balance, forced a fumble on Eagles punt returner Xavier Gipson, which led to Gipson injuring his shoulder.
While the Eagles would force a turnover on downs, the play embodied the professional football career of the young safety. High effort, tenacity; however, just a lack of being able to put it all together in an effective manner.
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Now, as the Eagles get ready for a "short week" with a game on Black Friday against the Chicago Bears, they'll most likely be doing with their erratic, consistently inconsistent safety taking significant reps in the secondary.