Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t count out Marcus Epps just yet

Marcus Epps’ time with the Philadelphia Eagles may not be over just yet.

*sigh* can the Philadelphia Eagles go a single practice without suffering an injury?

Seriously, first Javon Hargrave, then Derek Barnett, Miles Sanders, Andre Dillard, Jalen Reagor, Carson Wentz, and now both Avonte Maddox and Will Parks? Who’s next? Is Cam Johnston heading for a serious stinger? Is Rick Lovato on his way to a hernia thanks to spending so much time squatting over? Oh no, please don’t come for Jason Kelce, the Eagles are already thin enough on the offensive line as it is.

But hey, why be so gosh darn negative? Football is rapidly approaching, and as the 2017 Eagles will eagerly attest, when one player goes down, it’s on the next man up to pick up the slack.

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With that in mind, let’s take a moment to highlight one of those unsung heroes who the majority of Eagles fans may have forgotten but could very well find himself on the 53 man roster come Week 1: Marcus Epps.

What? You aren’t familiar with Marcus Epps? Number 37? How could that be? You don’t remember when the Eagles claimed him off waivers before Week 10 of the 2019 season to replace free agent bust Andrew Sendejo? Nothing? Seriously? He played 14 fewer defensive snaps than T.J. Edwards for a grand total of 210 if you count special teams.

Hm, well, allow me to fill you in.

A sixth-round pick out of Wyoming in 2019, Epps played all of 12 defensive snaps for the Minnesota Vikings over his initial tenure with the team, before being waived midway through the season.

Fun fact: When the Eagles waived Sendejo, he quickly reunited with the Minnesota Vikings, who, fittingly enough, waived Epps to free up a roster spot. So in essence, the Eagles traded seven games of Sendejo for three and a half seasons of a player safeties coach Tim Hauck took a liking to during the pre-draft process. Not bad, Howie Roseman, not bad at all.

Over his albeit abbreviated tenure with the team in 2019, Epps earned the unlikely honor of playing third safety in Jim Schwartz’s big nickel package, a look the former Lions head coach deployed with increasing frequency due to a lack of consistent play from the team’s cornerbacks and inside linebackers. From Week 13 to the team’s playoff bow against the Seattle Seahawks, Epps averaged 18 snaps a game on the defensive side of the ball, filling the single-high free safety role typically manned by Rodney McLeod with the latter kicking down closer to the line of scrimmage to moonlight in the slot.

Now I know what you’re thinking, ‘with not one, not two, not three, but four safeties signing new contracts with the Eagles this fall, Epps’ days in South Philly are numbered, right?’

Eh, not necessarily.

You see, of the Eagles’ top seven safeties, only two, McLeod and Epps, are particularly versed at deploying from the single high, free safety position. Yes, technically the Eagles also have Baylor UDFA Grayland Arnold, who immediately switched positions from cornerback to safety upon joining the team, but he’s yet to play a snap at free safety, period. Has he really progressed far enough for the Birds to trust him as McLeod’s primary backup for an entire season? I guess K’Von Wallace, Jalen Mills, or even Parks could shift from strong safeties to free in a pinch, but that trio is far better suited to play on the inside than on an island 15 odd yards off the line of scrimmage.

Factor in Epps’ experience on special teams and it’s hard to find a spot on the roster for a player like Rudy Ford, Craig James, or even Trevor Williams when putting together a 53 man mock, especially if either Rasul Douglas or Sidney Jones is forced to continue on with their professional football careers elsewhere.

Alright, to be fair, it’s not like Epps is a particularly versatile player either. He’s not a Harrison Smith-type who can play either safety position, he’s woefully outmatched athletically when placed on a speedy receiver in man coverage and he’s not a 4.3 running, sideine-to-sideline safety who can play any throw right down the middle and speed to the ball in stride. What Epps can do, however, is keep his eyes on the quarterback and most importantly of all, keep the ball in front of him.

How many times have we seen McLeod get a bit too cocky and attempt to jump a route, only to watch a big touchdown sail over his head? I like McLeod as much as the next guy, but on occasion, having a guy like Epps who will hold a strong perimeter at the back end of the defense is valuable, even if his ceiling is quite possibly the lowest on the team.

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Personally, I’d give Marcus Epps a 50/50 shot of making the Philadelphia Eagles roster this fall. Even with Rodney McLeod’s contract set to expire at the end of the 2021 season, it’s hard to imagine Epps taking over for the former St. Louis Ram when he hits the open market once more. Then again, it’s not like anyone expected McLeod to earn $27-plus million over an eight-years-and-counting NFL career when he went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, so I guess anything is possible.

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