Philadelphia Eagles: K’Von Wallace’s evaluation window beings now
Before the Philadelphia Eagles took their flight out to Las Vegas, I declared Week 7 of the 2021 NFL season a make-or-break game for fourth-year safety Marcus Epps.
With both Anthony Harris and K’Von Wallace out, I hypothesized that Epps would receive the lion’s share of the team’s starting free safety snaps. If he shined, maybe the Eagles would give him a bigger look down the stretch to see what they’ve got in number 22, and if he failed? Well, the chances of sticking around in South Philly shrunk significantly.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, it was far more of the latter than the former.
As I predicted, Epps did earn the start at free safety in Las Vegas opposite Rodney McLeod, and he was ultimately on the field for all 66 of the team’s defensive snaps. He just didn’t play very well when his number was called.
As has become customary for Epps, the former Wyoming Cowboy made some bad reads in zone coverage and failed to set a hard edge at the back of the defense, with Derek Carr effectively having his way as a passer for much of the outing.
Now granted, could Epps ultimately rebound and still earn another opportunity with the team in 2022? Sure, anything is possible, but with a perfect opportunity to prove his ability to hang for an entire game as a starting free safety, Epps’ stock slowly sank over the 60-minute shindig.
Why, you may ask, is this relevant? Well, because K’Von Wallace is about to have his own window of evaluation opened up after being officially activated from IR, and his play over the subsequent 10 games could go a long way in defining his future with the Philadelphia Eagles.
K’Von Wallace has a chance to prove his worth to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Unless things take a very, very sharp negative turn over the next nine months, it’s pretty safe to assume K’Von Wallace will be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles when the 2022 NFL season opens up.
A fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Clemson, Wallace’s rookie-scale contract runs through 2023 and will cost the team roughly $3 million in total to keep around for the remainder of his contract.
If Wallace does nothing else but play special teams, which is a steady part of his game, that’s a fine number for his production. If, however, Wallace develops into something more, then, my friends, he’ll be in line for a very handsome payday moving forward.
With only two safeties under contract heading into the 2022 NFL season – the other being Andre Chachere, who has logged one defensive snap so far this season – a good stretch of games for Wallace in 2021 could seriously help to define his future with the team, and how the Philadelphia Eagles may opt to address the position heading into free agency and the draft.
If, for example, Wallace can prove himself a good coverage player deployed out deep in space, he might be able to replace Harris as the team’s free safety in 2022 over addressing the spot with another free agent. If he instead shows valuable versatility as a coverage player who can take on a tight end on one play, a slot receiver on the next, and a running back after that, the Eagles may feel comfortable enough to start Wallace at strong safety long-term, with Rodney McLeod moving back over to the free side or moving on to a new NFL home entirely when his contract expires in March.
If, however, Wallace struggles in either role or just looks inconsistent from play to play, his ceiling in 2022 might be as a big nickel safety, with securing a long-term starter becoming a bigger priority either in the draft or free agency.
See what I mean? That’s one heck of a swing from deep bench special teamer to every snap starter.
Next. Trading for DeSean Jackson makes no sense. dark
In Jonathan Gannon‘s defensive scheme, safety is incredibly important. Each player has to be big enough to support the run, fast enough to cover half of the field, and smart enough to make good reads in zone coverage. On paper, K’Von Wallace fits that bill; he just needs that on-field proof of concept to highlight he’s worthy of a spot in the Philadelphia Eagles’ future long-term.