The Philadelphia Eagles are now one step closer to avoiding safety Sydney Brown from stepping on the field as a starter.
Right before their Week 14 showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Eagles announced that they were activating safety Marcus Epps from the IR. They also announced that they were elevating safety Andre Sam from the practice squad.
Epps has spent time on the IR and recently had his 21-day practice window opened. He has appeared in eight games this season, racking up six tackles for the Eagles, mostly on special teams.
It appears as though Philly has a chance to avoid Sydney Brown in the starting lineup
After Andrew Mukuba's injury and placement on IR, Sydney Brown stepped up at safety in the Chicago Bears' Week 13 loss, and let's just say it did not go well. That has inspired the fan base to be actively cheering for Epps to recover quickly and get back on the field.
Eagles fans are familiar with Epps, as he played a key role in the team's Super Bowl appearance in 2023, where they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. That season, he made 94 tackles, six pass deflections, four tackles for loss, and one forced fumble in 17 starts.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had alluded to the fact that Epps could not only play in the game but might even start. Fangio did not say definitively whether Epps would start at safety over Brown, but when Fangio drops massive hints like that, it's usually the case.
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Philly fans will have to wait and see how Fangio handles the safety position in the Chargers game. Still, it is encouraging to see that Epps will be active and ready to go if the defensive coordinator decides to send him out.