March 01, 2026
Over the last few weeks, we've been taking a position-by-position look at which players will likely be back with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2026, and which ones likely won't. Today we'll continue on with the safeties.
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.
Previous "stay or go" polls
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Offensive tackle | Guard | Center
Edge | Interior D-line | Linebacker | Cornerback
In 2024, Blankenship had a good season from start to finish, and he was also a playmaker, as he had four INTs, tied for 10th-most in the NFL. With only one year left on his contract heading into the 2025 season, Blankenship felt like a contract extension candidate, but no deal was struck, and he played out the final year of his contract. He had an up and down 2025 season, and a bad game in the Eagles' playoff loss to the 49ers. (I have heard that the Eagles felt that Blankenship had some costly mental errors in that game.)
Still, in his four seasons with the team, Blankenship has racked up 308 tackles and 9 INTs. He started four games as a rookie, and has been a full-time starter on the back end over the last three seasons. He was an absolute home run signing as an undrafted player following the 2022 draft.
Blankenship has also been extremely cheap, as his career earnings are just $5,890,000, per OverTheCap. He is not going to be cheap anymore, as he'll be a free agent in March.
It will be interesting to see what kind of market unfolds for Blankenship in free agency. If he is able to score a deal in the $10 million per year range, he's probably a goner. If he does not attract that type of offer, he could return to the team on a more reasonable deal. In a weak safety group in free agency, I believe that Blankenship is going to get a good offer elsewhere, and it wouldn't surprise me if his former positional coach Christian Parker was able to nudge the Cowboys into bringing him to Dallas. Go.
Mukuba was selected in the second round of the 2025 draft, and he won a starting safety job despite missing time during training camp with shoulder and hamstring injuries.
During his rookie season, Mukuba compiled 46 tackles, 2 INTs, and 3 pass breakups. His biggest play of the season came in Week 2, when he picked off a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Travis Kelce deep in Eagles territory, and returned it 41 yards. That was also easily the biggest play in that game.
Mukuba was up and down in the games he played, but was beginning to earn Vic Fangio's trust before he suffered a broken fibula Week 12 in Dallas. That ended his season.
Pencil in Mukuba for a starting role once again in 2026, but he'll have to prove that he can stay on the field. Stay.
After Epps was released by the Patriots before the start of the season, the Eagles scooped him up. He played in 12 games, missing four with an undisclosed injury in the middle of the season, before starting four December games against the Chargers, Raiders, Commanders, and Bills upon his return to the 53-man roster. He also started in the Eagles' playoff loss to the 49ers.
On the season, Epps had 21 tackles, and no other stats (no PBUs, FFs, or INTs).
Epps is a solid backup at this stage of his career. He knows where he needs to be, but isn't going to provide much in the way of splash plays. I believe that the Eagles will have interest in bringing him back, but should not settle on him as a starter if they lose Blankenship. Stay.
It looked for a minute like Brown might start Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys with Mukuba still recovering from a hamstring injury, but Mukuba was healthy enough to play. Brown did have a role in the regular defense in that game, mixing in when the Eagles were in their base defense. He played 14 snaps on defense in that game, 14 snaps against the Chiefs Week 2, and 20 snaps against the Rams Week 3.
He was then benched, as he didn't play any meaningful snaps again until Week 12 in Dallas, when he filled in for an injured Blankenship. He started the following game in a bad home loss to the Bears, but played poorly enough in that game that he was replaced in the starting lineup by Epps, who was returning from IR.
During his post mortem press conference, Howie Roseman pointed out that the team has hit on almost all of their Day 1 and Day 2 draft picks since 2021.
"I'm proud, since [Nick Sirianni] has been here, of our first- and second-day draft success," Roseman said. "I think we've drafted 15 guys since Nick has been here in the first and second day, and 14 of them have been long-term starters."
The one that is not a long-term starter? Sydney Brown.
Brown is a very athletic player, and he seems to love to play, but as noted in our player review of him last offseason he lacks recognition skills and he plays out of control. That's a bad combo.
Brown at least has had a role as a core special teamer, and I imagine he'll reprise that role in 2026, but if he hasn't figured out how to play in Vic Fangio's defense by now it probably isn't going to happen for him. I do think the Eagles would be open to trading Brown for another player on their rookie contract who can compete for a role in the regular offense or defense, but for now we'll project that he'll be back. Stay.
Green = Stay
Red = Go
Blue = Will be back in camp in 2025, but a 53-man roster spot is not a given.
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| QB | Jalen Hurts (stay) | Tanner McKee (stay) | Sam Howell (go) | |
| RB | Saquon Barkley (stay) | Tank Bigsby (stay) | Will Shipley (stay) | A.J. Dillon (go) |
| WR | A.J. Brown (go) | DeVonta Smith (stay) | Jahan Dotson (go) | Darius Cooper (back in camp) |
| WR (cont.) | Britain Covey (back in camp) | Johnny Wilson (back in camp) | ||
| TE/FB | Dallas Goedert (go) | Grant Calcaterra (go) | Kylen Granson (go) | Cameron Latu (back in camp) |
| TE/FB (cont.) | Ben VanSumeren (back in camp) | |||
| OT | Lane Johnson (stay) | Jordan Mailata (stay) | Fred Johnson (go) | Cameron Williams (back in camp) |
| OT (cont.) | Myles Hinton (back in camp) | |||
| OG | Landon Dickerson (stay) | Tyler Steen (stay) | Matt Pryor (go) | |
| C | Cam Jurgens (stay) | Brett Toth (back in camp) | Drew Kendall (stay) | Willie Lampkin (back in camp) |
| ED | Jaelan Phillips (stay) | Nolan Smith (stay) | Jalyx Hunt (stay) | Brandon Graham (stay) |
| ED (cont.) | Josh Uche (go) | Azeez Ojulari (go) | Ogbo Okoronkwo (go) | |
| iDL | Jalen Carter (stay) | Jordan Davis (stay) | Moro Ojomo (stay) | Byron Young (stay) |
| iDL (cont.) | Ty Robinson (stay) | |||
| OBLB | Zack Baun (stay) | Nakobe Dean (go) | Jihaad Campbell (stay) | Jeremiah Trotter (stay) |
| OBLB (cont.) | Smael Mondon (stay) | |||
| CB | Quinyon Mitchell (stay) | Cooper DeJean (stay) | Adoree' Jackson (go) | Kelee Ringo (stay) |
| CB (cont.) | Jakorian Bennett (back in camp) | Michael Carter (go) | Mac McWilliams (back in camp) | |
| S | Reed Blankenship (go) | Andrew Mukuba (stay) | Marcus Epps (stay) | Sydney Brown (stay) |
| K/P/LS |
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