Changes have come for the Philadelphia Eagles' secondary, but at least one starter from last year will be back at a safety position for the 2026 season.
During last season's Week 12 heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba broke his ankle and was considered out for the rest of the season. That resulted in Marcus Epps having to step in after a failed start by Sydney Brown.
This offseason, the Eagles lost their other starting safety Reed Blankenship as he signed with the Houston Texans, leaving a ton of questions at the safety position for the 2026 season. NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark at least gave Eagles fans some good news as he shared an image of Mukuba smiling and working out with the team during their offseason program.
Andrew Mukuba appears to be healthy and ready to play in 2026
Mukuba was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft right after linebacker Jihaad Campbell, leading to both of the Eagles' top picks getting significant playing time on defense. In 11 games with 10 starts, Mukuba racked up 46 tackles, three pass deflections, two interceptions, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and a half sack.
There were some shaky moments for Mukuba, especially in coverage at the beginning of the season, as he was often beaten. He improved as the season went on, giving Eagles fans hope that he could develop into a long-term starter for the team.
This is going to be a defining season for Mukuba in Year 2, as he has to take on a bigger role in the secondary with Blankenship no longer back there. Philly still needs to figure out whether it will be Epps or Michael Carter II, or potentially a rookie selected in the NFL Draft, who will start at the other safety position. That means Mukuba will have to be leaned on to play better and take over as a leader in that secondary that also has All-Pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
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Expectations will be higher for Mukuba, but his skill set is clearly there for him to be great in his sophomore NFL season.
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