Kenny Moore's signing gave Marcus Epps a new reason to worry about Eagles job

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is turning to an old friend to help out in the secondary with Kenny Moore joining the franchise.

Multiple outlets reported the Eagles are signing Moore to a one-year, $3 million contract. NFL insider Mike Garafolo added that Moore is being looked at to play safety and nickel corner.

He was a Pro Bowler for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 and he and Sirianni were together in Indy for mutliple years early in their careers. Last year with the Colts, Moore racked up 55 tackles, six pass deflections, three quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and one pick-six.

Kenny Moore is not going to make life easy on Eagles starting safety Marcus Epps

Let's call it what it is: this move was made after the third-and-22 that Marcus Epps completely whiffed on a tackle, leading to a Titans first down conversion late in the game. The Eagles still won the game 24-20, but that play was so horrendous that general manager Howie Roseman couldn't ignore the safety issue anymore.

Through two games, Marcus Epps has a Pro Football Focus grade of 65.1, ranking 32nd out of 84 eligible safeties in the NFL. He has allowed a 118.8 passer rating when targeted this season.

Something had to be done at safety, since the Eagles are trying to develop Andrew Mukuba into a long-term starter and Michael Carter II is still learning the safety position. Cooper DeJean has been playing safety in base defense, but Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has made it clear he wants DeJean at nickel.

Moore is an instant upgrade for the Eagles in every aspect. This is a guy that might be getting older, but has made himself into the perfect build for a safety. Philly couldn't afford to let Epps and Mukuba continue to mess up in coverage and missed tackles.

This is going to be even more beneficial for Mukuba and his development. He will learn from a great defensive back like Moore and see what it takes to be a Pro Bowlers.

As for Epps, this is surely starting to look like the end of the road for him after a rough first two weeks. There is potential that maybe he uses this as motivation to play better, but the writing is on the wall for Moore to eventually be a starter either this week or sometime soon.

Read more: Eagles are feeling the Jihaad Campbell pain they didn't with Nakobe Dean

It's another great move for Roseman to help the roster out right now after some concerns with the secondary. Now it's a matter of seeing how Moore is going to be used in this defense.

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