Eagles 2025 Position Group Report Cards: Safeties

Part 9 of our 10-part series grading every Eagles position group from the 2025 season. Today: the safeties.

Overall Grade: C+

The Eagles' safety room entered 2025 with genuine optimism. Reed Blankenship was coming off a four-interception 2024 campaign, second-round rookie Andrew Mukuba brought explosive athleticism from Texas, and Sydney Brown was finally healthy after his brutal ACL rehab. On paper, this group had the potential to be a real strength. In reality, it was a rollercoaster — flashes of brilliance undermined by injuries, inconsistency, and a playoff performance that left a bitter taste.

Reed Blankenship: The Steady Hand With a Shaky Finish

Blankenship played all 16 regular season games and finished with 83 tackles, one interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Those numbers don't jump off the page the way his 2024 stat line did, but the film tells a more nuanced story.

In Vic Fangio's system, safeties aren't asked to be freelancers. They're asked to be disciplined, to disguise coverages pre-snap, to rotate post-snap without tipping their hand, and to communicate the entire coverage structure to the rest of the secondary. Blankenship did all of that at a high level for most of the season. He held his depth, didn't telegraph rotations, and served as the defensive quarterback of the backend. His processing speed and coverage discipline were legitimate strengths.

Against the run, Blankenship was consistently reliable — triggering downhill with good timing, taking clean angles, and finishing tackles. He's not a box safety, but from the second level, he rarely gave up the extra yards that turn decent gains into chunk plays.

The problem? His athletic limitations showed up in critical moments. When offenses stressed his range with motion, misdirection, or speed at the catch point, Blankenship sometimes arrived a half-step late. And in the Wild Card loss to the 49ers — a 23-19 gut-punch at the Linc — those limitations were magnified. Reports suggest the coaching staff felt Blankenship made costly mental errors in that game, a rough final impression heading into free agency.

Over four seasons, Blankenship racked up 308 tackles and 9 interceptions on a combined career earnings of just $5.89 million. An absolute home run as an undrafted signing. But with free agency looming and a weak safety market that could inflate his price tag, the Blankenship era in Philadelphia may be over. Grade: B-

Andrew Mukuba: The Future, If He Can Stay Healthy

Mukuba was exactly the kind of draft pick the Eagles needed — a versatile, athletic safety who can play deep, cover the slot, and create turnovers. He won a starting job despite missing training camp time with shoulder and hamstring injuries, and immediately flashed why Philadelphia spent a second-round pick on him.

In 11 games, Mukuba compiled 46 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups, 2 tackles for loss, and half a sack. His signature moment came in Week 2 against Kansas City, when he jumped a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Travis Kelce deep in Eagles territory and returned it 41 yards. That was the biggest play of the game — the kind of explosive, high-IQ playmaking that makes you believe this kid is going to be special.

Mukuba was beginning to earn Fangio's trust and settle into the defense when disaster struck in Week 12 at Dallas — a broken fibula that ended his rookie season. It was a crushing blow, not just for Mukuba personally, but for a defense that was starting to click with him in the lineup.

The talent is undeniable. The durability concerns are real. Mukuba dealt with injuries at Texas, missed time in training camp, and then suffered a season-ending fracture. For a player whose game relies on aggressive ball-hawking and physicality, availability is the single biggest question heading into Year 2. If he stays on the field, this group's ceiling changes dramatically. Grade: B

The Supporting Cast: Marcus Epps and Sydney Brown

Marcus Epps returned to Philadelphia after being released by the Patriots before the season, and he played the role you'd expect from a veteran backup — steady, reliable, unspectacular. He appeared in 12 games, started four in December (against the Chargers, Raiders, Commanders, and Bills), and started the Wild Card game. His final line: 21 tackles. No interceptions, no pass breakups, no forced fumbles. Epps knows where to be and won't make mental errors, but he's not going to create turnovers or change games. At this stage of his career, he's a quality depth piece and nothing more. Grade: C

Sydney Brown's 2025 was quietly disappointing. After the long ACL rehab, there was hope that Brown could compete for a starting role. He mixed into the base defense early — playing 14-20 snaps in the first three weeks — but was then essentially benched, not seeing meaningful defensive snaps again until Week 12 when Blankenship went down. Brown filled in and started some late-season games, but never looked like the explosive playmaker the Eagles thought they were getting when they drafted him in 2023. The ACL clearly sapped some of his burst, and at this point, his trajectory in Philadelphia feels uncertain. Grade: C-

The Offseason Question

This safety room is at a crossroads. Blankenship is likely gone in free agency — his value in a thin market could push him to $10 million per year, which is more than the Eagles should pay for a good-not-great safety coming off a rough playoff showing. Mukuba is the future, but he needs to prove he can stay healthy. Brown hasn't shown enough. Epps is a backup.

The Eagles need to find a legitimate starter to pair with Mukuba, whether that's through free agency, the draft, or — less likely — a Sydney Brown breakout. Fangio's defense demands smart, disciplined safeties who can communicate, disguise, and process at a high level. That's not a profile you find on every corner. This position group was good enough in 2025, but "good enough" doesn't win playoff games. Just ask the 49ers.

Next up in Part 10: Special Teams.