The Philadelphia Eagles are making it very clear that they are not ready to signal one of their starters back on the field.
This season, the defensive unit for Philly has had their fair share of injuries, including edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. and cornerback Adoree' Jackson, who missed time. While the Eagles have fought through those injuries, one big one has a chance to be moved off IR, but it isn't looking like that's going to happen anytime soon.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio provided an update on rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, who is currently on IR after fracturing his ankle in the Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While Mukuba is eligible to have his 21-day practice window opened soon, Fangio made it very clear what the team is doing with him.
“He might be eligible to come off, but he isn’t coming off.”
Mukuba might be on the sidelines for a bit for the Eagles
While it has been far from a perfect season for Mukuba, he has made good strides throughout. In 11 games, he had made 46 tackles, three pass deflections, two tackles for loss, two interceptions, one quarterback hit, and a half sack.
Mukuba tended to struggle in coverage at times, with either miscommunications on the back end or getting burned on one-on-one coverage. He has been a solid tackler in the secondary and was improving throughout the year before the injury.
Since Mukuba has been out, Sydney Brown got one start that did not go well, which opened the door for Marcus Epps himself to come off the IR and start the last two games. That has paid off with Epps playing well and earning his starting spot for as long as Mukuba is on IR.
There might even be a legitimate argument to be made that Epps is playing so well that even if Mukuba comes off the IR, Epps should still be the starter at safety with Reed Blankenship. Having more veterans who have played in big games and a Super Bowl before, like Epps, would be beneficial to the Eagles' very young defense.
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It appears as though Fangio and company aren't ready to cross that bridge just yet, as they are enjoying the recent success of the defense with Epps in the lineup.