Eagles stay or go: Safety

During the early part of the NFL offseason, we're taking position-by-position looks at which players will likely be back with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, and which ones likely won't. Today we'll look at safety.

Regarding the polls below, they are your votes on what you think the Eagles should do, not necessarily what you think they will do. Please think of them more as approval polls for each player.

Reed Blankenship

Blankenship was probably the Eagles' most impactful rookie in 2022, collecting 34 tackles, two pass breakups, and one INT. He made the team out of training camp as an undrafted rookie free agent, and began the season as the No. 4 safety. At some point during that season, he leapfrogged K’Von Wallace for the No. 3 safety role, and was called on to start after Chauncey Gardner-Johnson went down with a kidney injury against the Packers. In that Packers game, Blankenship intercepted Aaron Rodgers and made several nice plays in run defense.

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With Gardner-Johnson out, Blankenship would start against the Titans, Giants, Cowboys, and Saints, playing well overall in those four games. Upon Gardner-Johnson's return to the lineup, Blankenship still kept a role. Gardner-Johnson started at safety in the base defense but moved to the slot in nickel with Blankenship coming off the bench to play safety.

Entering 2023 training camp, it was believed that Blankenship would be in a three-way competition with Terrell Edmunds and Sydney Brown to start at safety. It became quickly apparent that Blankenship was the team's top guy. 

Blankenship had an up and down season. Near the midpoint of the season, he led all NFL safeties in pass breakups, and he was a sure tackler, typically taking good angles to the football and preventing good offensive plays from becoming disasters. However, like many of his teammates on both sides of the ball, he struggled down the stretch.

#JimmyVerdict: Blankenship was a home run UDFA signing, and he will almost certainly start once again in 2024. That will be a big season for him to prove that he can be a long-term starter at safety, as opposed to merely settling in as a role player. .

Stay or go: Reed Blankenship

Kevin Byard

Near the trade deadline, the Eagles acquired Byard from the Titans for fifth- and sixth-round picks in 2024, as well as safety Terrell Edmunds.

During his time in Tennessee, Byard was a playmaking safety who picked off at least four passes in seven of his NFL seasons, including a league-leading eight in 2017. He was named First-Team All-Pro in 2017 and 2021.

He played in 10 games for the Eagles, making 75 tackles, 1 INT, and 3 pass breakups. PFF had him down for 32 receptions allowed on 38 targets (84.2%) for 321 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT.

Byard had one stellar game for the Eagles, which came against the Chiefs, when he picked off Patrick Mahomes in the end zone and was able to hold Travis Kelce to 7 catches for 44 yards on 9 targets. He did not make an impact otherwise.

On a side note, Howie Roseman's batting average at the trade deadline hasn't been great since he regained his general manager status in 2016: 

• 2016: No deadline trades.

• 2017: The Eagles were buyers, trading a fourth-round pick for RB Jay Ajayi.

• 2018: The Eagles were buyers, trading a third-round pick for WR Golden Tate.

• 2019: The Eagles traded a fourth-round pick for then-DE Genard Avery. Roseman explained after the season that Avery was a player they hoped would contribute in 2020 and beyond, but they did not expect him to step in immediately and make an impact.

• 2020: No deadline trades, which made sense for a 3-4-1 team at the time of the deadline.

• 2021: The Eagles were kinda-sorta sellers, as they traded TE Zach Ertz to the Cardinals after a loss to the Buccaneers brought their record to 2-4. They also traded Joe Flacco to the Jets to make way for Gardner Minshew to become the No. 2, and they traded a late pick for CB Kary Vincent Jr.

• 2022: The Eagles were buyers, trading a fourth-round pick for DE Robert Quinn to replace the injured Derek Barnett.

• 2023: The aforementioned trade for Byard.

When they've been buyers, they have really only hit on Ajayi. Otherwise, Roseman made bad trades for Tate, Avery, Quinn, and now Byard.

#JimmyVerdict: Byard has a base salary of $9,600,000 in 2024, with a roster bonus of $4 million due on March 15. If the Eagles cut him, they will save a little over $13 million on their 2024 cap. Obviously, that is a no-brainer. Go.

Stay or go: Kevin Byard

Sydney Brown

As we noted during this series with Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo already, the Eagles had an odd aversion to allowing their young players to play. The same can be probably be said of Brown, who was a core special teamer as a rookie, but who only played 335 snaps in the regular defense, despite the team suffering quite a few injuries at safety. Even without the injuries, Brown was buried on the depth chart early in the season behind Band-Aids like Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds.

He played 16 snaps the first three weeks of the season before missing three games with a hamstring injury. When he got extended action in games later in the season, it was typically out of position at slot corner, where he was filling in for Avonte Maddox and Bradley Roby, after guys like Mario Goodrich and Josiah Scott proved to be ineffective. 

Still, Brown showed promise as a rookie, with his highlight of the season being a 99-yard pick-six against the Cardinals.

Unfortunately, his season ended badly, when he tore an ACL in the regular season finale against the Giants. His availability for Week 1 in 2024 will be in question.

#JimmyVerdict: The Eagles hope that Brown will be a long-term starter at safety. Stay.

Stay or go: Sydney Brown

Justin Evans

Evans won a starting job in training camp, but he only lasted four games before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury. He had his 21-day window to return the active roster activated later in the season, but never rejoined the 53-man roster.

Evans was a Buccaneers second-round pick (50th overall) in 2017 out of Texas A&M. He had a productive rookie season in 2017 (in the stat sheet, at least), when he had 66 tackles, 3 INTs, and 6 pass breakups. However, his career has since been derailed by injuries.

• In 2017, he was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and he missed the last 2 games of the regular season.

• In 2018, he missed six games with a toe injury, once again landing on injured reserve to finish the season.

• In 2019, he missed the entirety of the season with an Achilles injury.

• In 2020, he started training camp on the PUP list, and was waived in December with a failed physical designation.

• In 2021, he wasn't on an NFL roster.

• In 2022, he signed with the Saints and played in 15 games, starting four. He missed the last two games with a shoulder injury.

• In 2023, as noted above, he missed 14 games (including the playoffs) with a knee injury.

#JimmyVerdict: To be determined if Evans even plays in the NFL at all again. Even if so, it is unlikely that will be with the Eagles. Go.

Stay or go: Justin Evans

#JimmyVerdict Stay or Go Results

Green = Stay

Red = Go

Blue = Will be back in camp in 2024, but a 53-man roster spot is not a given.

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