To question Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman on anything he does almost feels like a sin, but even the salary cap wizard has moments that have had fans concerned.
This offseason felt almost perfect for the Eagles as they were able to recover from the loss of Jaelan Phillips with Jonathan Greenard, and Roseman found the solution at CB2 with Riq Woolen. Even at wide receiver, before the A.J. Brown trade, moves were made to bring in four wide receivers with the hopes that at least one or two of them could replace Brown. Almost every move was calculated with a clear path to what he was thinking.
One position group, though, went through quite the overhaul, but really didn't get much new with it that would excite the Eagles fan base. It's one that will leave some questions about what Roseman's plan is at the position in 2026.
Safety feels like a massive weak point to the Eagles in 2026
While losing Reed Blankenship was expected, it was still the biggest gut punch to the Eagles fan base of the offseason. Blankenship was a fan favorite as he went from undrafted free agent to reliable starter. It may not have been perfect performances from him over the last two years, but Blankenship was the leader in a very young secondary.
That wasn't the only loss at the position, though, as the Eagles also decided to trade Sydney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons and swap two Day 3 draft picks. Even though Brown was a disappointment in Philly, there were questions about losing yet another safety who knew the defense well.
The Eagles' solution was to bring back Marcus Epps and sign special teams ace J.T. Gray. That left Epps potentially replacing Blankenship, but with the understanding that there would be a battle in training camp at the position, with Michael Carter II most likely as the top opponent.
Another aspect of the safety position that might raise questions is whether 2025 second-round pick Andrew Mukuba was ready to take a bigger role on the defense. Mukuba had some great moments, showing off his playmaking skills, but too often, he was inconsistent in coverage. He's also coming off a broken ankle, which means Epps will take over for him in the final month plus of the season, who played well in Mukuba's place, but wasn't a game-changer.
Sure, the fact that Cooper DeJean will be playing safety in base defense should help with ensuring there aren't too many issues at the position. The question is how often the Eagles will actually do that, and if DeJean is at safety, are they still solid at corner outside of Woolen and Quinyon Mitchell?
Roseman still has time to remedy the situation by adding another safety or trading for one. There have been multiple suggestions by some to look at the Cleveland Browns and ask about either Ronnie Hickman or Grant Delpit.
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Philly would be silly not to try to find another option to improve the safety position instead of what Roseman did last year at CB2, and wait until the middle of the season to try to do it. There are plenty of options at his disposal to find the right guy and not have the headache of dealing with picking between Epps and Carter.
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