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Training Camp Battle: Safety

Training Camp Battle:

Safety

By Jacob Brassard


Safety will be the most exciting and must-watch battle for the Eagles training camp in 2023. The departure of both Marcus Epps and CJ Gardner-Johnson leaves both starting spots wide open. The Eagles have an extraordinarily young Safety room with an average age of just 25 years old. To add more excitement to the competition most of the room is new to the organization.

The Eagles acquired both Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds in free agency this offseason. Evans was a 2nd round draft pick by Tampa Bay back in 2017. Edmunds was selected 28th overall by Pittsburgh in 2018. The newest safety is Sydney Brown out of Illinois University. He was drafted with the 66th overall pick back in April.

The returning players are Reed Blankenship, who got a decent number of snaps with injuries at safety last season, and K’von Wallace now the most-tenured safety on the team. Let's break down this Training Camp Battle.



K’von Wallace


Wallace was drafted by The Birds back in 2020 in the 4th round. His first opportunities to play were not super exciting. He seemed to not have a good feel for anticipating plays, reacted slowly, and would look lost in coverage. However, he seemed to be in more of a rhythm toward the end of last season. He finished the season with 28 total tackles (21 solo) and 2 passes defended.

The biggest upside to Wallace is he has a lot of strength, does not shy away from contact, and has the ability to blitz. Wallace is also a great athlete. He put up a solid 18 reps on the bench press at the combine and ran a 4.53 40-yard dash. He is a solid contributor on special teams, and is a player you can point and shoot to make a tackle.

While he has the physical ability needed for the position, Wallace is not a player that will anticipate a route and does not do a good job of keeping his head on a swivel. Further, he is shaky at best at covering larger receivers and TEs. Wallace will have to take a major leap this offseason, particularly in his coverage skills, to see significant snaps at Safety this season. The competition will not be making it any easier for him either. If Wallace makes the team, his role will be more of a special teams player.

Justin Evans


Justin Evans is now the oldest safety on the Eagles at 27 years old. He has had an interesting NFL career so far. He was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2017 and had a solid rookie year. Evans had 66 Tackles ( 50 Solo), 3 interceptions, and 6 total passes defended in 14 games. He was injured in 2018 only playing 10 games that season, was out in 2019 with an Achilles injury, and would be physically unable to play until 2022 when he joined the New Orleans Saints. In his comeback season, Evans had just 29 total tackles (17 solo), 1 forced fumble, and 2 passes defended. The Eagles love acquiring safeties from the Saints, so joining the Eagles was the most logical next step for his career.

Evans is a solid athlete. He ran a 4.60 40-yard dash and benched 14 reps at the combine. Unfortunately, this current Eagles safety room also has some great athletes. He is a good tackler and can land a big hit. He has a good awareness of the football and can strip the ball from the runner’s hands.

However, there is so much unknown about Evan’s ability to play. It is possible we have not seen his best football, yet just as likely he missed a valuable developmental window. There are some concerns about his pass-defending ability and that he can get lost on routes. A player that has everything to prove and nothing to lose can be very dangerous. He is a really hard player to analyze but he has the ability to be a starting safety and at the very least a potential depth/special team player.




Terrell Edmunds


Terrell Edmunds is a very intriguing addition from free agency. He was offered a contract to stay with the Steelers, but turned it down to join the Eagles. Some are saying that he is disloyal, but perhaps it speaks more to his hunger to win. Edmunds is a player that leaves it all on the field. An athletic playmaker that consistently gives 100% effort on plays. Additionally, he is a versatile player that can defend against the pass and run. He even played snaps at middle linebacker in college and running back in high school. Last season, Edmunds had 70 tackles (41 solo), 2 sacks, and 5 passes defended. At only 26 years old, he is continuing to develop as a football player. He is 6’1 and 217 pounds. He ran a speedy 4.47 40-yard dash, 41.5" vertical jump, and 11.2’ broad jump.

Edmunds has made some impressive plays in his career. He had an interception against Jacksonville that really stood out. He was covering the flats and a receiver slipped behind him on a 10-15 yard out route. Edmunds managed to leap up and extend his body to barely tip the pass to himself. It was one of many impressive effort plays that fill his highlight. He is also a heat-seeking missile. He is always around the football, has the ability to play in the box, delivers hits on run plays, tackles bigger-bodied players, and is excellent at covering Tight Ends. Covering TEs will be extremely important for the Eagles this season. The Eagles will face TJ Hockenson, Mike Gisicki, Travis Kelce, Dawson Knox, George Kittle, and Darren Waller (twice). Those will be tough matchups, but Edmunds has a great ability to put himself between the TE and the QB. He also has the athleticism and strength to force a pass breakup.

One knock that is frequently mentioned is a lot of his interceptions are tipped passes or balls that are not perfect throws. A safety's role is to be around the ball so, to me, this is nitpicky. He is a very twitchy player which can be a very good thing, but it gives him a tendency to bite on routes and get faked out by double moves.

Overall, Edmunds was a very reliable player for the Steelers. He has a lot of upside to win one of the starting spots for the Eagles and be a major contributor this upcoming season.


Reed Blankenship


It is hard to believe it, but Reed Blankenship is the second most tenured safety on the Eagles. Blankenship played 5 seasons at Middle Tennessee and was a captain for 3 of those seasons. He proved himself as a reliable player and leader in college. Nonetheless, Blankenship was an Undrafted Free Agent last season and started the year with approximately zero expectations to be a contributor from the fanbase. His number was called when CJGJ went down against the Green Bay Packers in week 12. He was actually pretty solid. He finished the game with 6 tackles and managed to pick off Aaron Rodgers. He turned a lot of heads that game and continued to contribute the rest of the season. He defended another pass the following week against Tennessee and forced a fumble in the NFC Championship against the 49ers (there seems to be confusion from 49er players and fans but the Eagles dominated that game 31-7). He ended the season with 45 total tackles (24 solo), 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 3 passes defended.


Looking at Blankenship’s physical traits, he is 24 years old, 6’1 and 200 pounds. Pretty decent size and has solid strength putting up 15 reps on the bench. At his pro-day, he ran a 4.55 40-yard dash. The biggest upside to Blankenship is he does a great job reading the field and is always aware of his surroundings. He has the ability to play the high safety position and cover a large area of the field. His ability to play inside the box and be a reliable tackler against bigger players are his biggest concerns at the position.


With the way he played last season, I would expect Blankenship to begin training camp as one of the starting safeties. It would be a good look from the coaching staff to reward his hard work. This would set a precedent that if you get your number called and you perform there will be recognition. On top of that, his ability to be a leader is a valuable asset. The job is his to lose though. The competition is not going to be easy and he will have to prove himself every single snap if he is going to be the starter in week 1.


Sydney Brown


Sydney Brown was drafted in the 3rd round of this year's draft. Brown is a very intriguing rookie. He is extraordinarily athletic with a dawg mentality that the Eagles actively seek out. Brown ran a 4.47 40-yard dash, 40.5’ vertical jump, 10’10 broadjump, and benched for 23 reps! He is very strong in a compact frame, 5’10 209 pounds.

Brown was a problem for offenses his senior year. He has 60 total tackles (41 solo), 6 interceptions on 16 passes defended, 1 force fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, and 2 touchdowns. If Edmunds is a heat-seeking missile, Then Brown is a drone strike. If there is a football in play on the field, Sydney Brown is somewhere close by. He is an excellent run defender, a consistent tackler, has the strength to cover TEs, and had a great feel for reading plays. Brown is a player that thrived inside the box and was a major threat to blitz on any play. Brown is a football player that simply makes plays and can force turnovers.

The gaps in Brown's game is he struggled in man coverage at times, specifically against speedier receivers who were able to create separation on beaks, and he does not have a lot of experience covering large areas of the field. It is not that he played poorly as a high safety, Illinois simply never utilized him too much in that way. The Eagles will certainly test his ability to play up high and test his coverage skills because it is a big unknown for him at this point.

Brown has tremendous upside. To be frank, he should be in the running for biggest steal of the draft ( as should Nolan Smith). He is a player who was projected to go as early as the 2nd round. Brown is a football player and playmaker. He has the ability and athleticism to make plays as early as day 1. That being said, NFL and College are two very different brands of football. It may take some time for Brown to get used to the pace and flow of the game. He won’t be able to play 100% of snaps like Malcom Jenkins this year, but I believe he can become a very similar player and fill in that role to become the Eagles star safety. My comparison is Jenkins, but many have been comparing him to Brian "Weapon X" Dawkins. Brown certainly has the ability to be an X-factor player. Regardless of who you choose to compare him to, Brown first has to overcome the tough competition in training camp this offseason.



Predicted Winners: Terrell Edmunds and Reed Blankenship


I predict that Reid Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds will be named the starters at the end of training camp. Terrell Edmunds will be the SS role playing more in the box with Blankenship being the FS. Edmunds has been a reliable player and is a great athlete that will outshine the competition. Blankenship will begin camp as the starter and will successfully fend off the competition. With that being said, there will be a 3rd winner of training camp. I predict Sydney Brown will also shine during camp. Enough where he will get snaps and the opportunity to earn more throughout the season. It will be scary for offenses, especially running downs, to have extraordinary athletes flying around the field in Brown and Edmunds. Brown will also be an excellent candidate to play special teams snaps. The Eagles will take the chance to coach Brown up and ease him into NFL action. There will be pressure on Blankenship to perform during the season because if he doesn’t I don’t think the coaching staff would be upset with Brown taking on more snaps. These 3 safeties will give new Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai a lot to think about for how he can utilize each of their strengths.


As for Wallace and Evans, it is a tricky toss up. I think Wallace has more upside as a special teams player. I think Evans will struggle to compete with the more athletic safeties around him and will find himself on a new team by the start of the 2023-24 season. I could see a team like the Packers being in need of safety depth and taking a chance on Evans


Who do you think will be the starting safety for the Eagles? Can Brown win the starting role as a rookie? What position should I highlight next? Let me know in the comments below!