Marcus Epps has turned into a player for the Philadelphia Eagles

Is there any player more polarizing on the Philadelphia Eagles than Marcus Epps?

… oh yeah, Jalen Hurts is on the roster; nevermind.

Anyway, back to Epps. Since landing on the Eagles roster in Week 10 of the 2019 season, replacing fellow former Minnesota Viking Andrew Sendejo, Epps has appeared in 42 games with eight starts and has been responsible for some of the lowest lights of the last three seasons.

I mean, need I say more than the Seattle Seahawks game in 2019?

And yet, three-quarters of the way through the 2021 NFL season, it’s hard to argue that Marcus Epps hasn’t been the Philadelphia Eagles’ best safety, which might have more to do with his teammates, but I digress. With a contract year just over the horizon, let’s see how the Pride of Wyoming went from a fan non-favorite to a potential starter in 2022.

The Philadelphia Eagles should be proud of Marcus Epps’ development.

According to Pro Football Focus, Marcus Epps is the 21st-ranked safety in the NFL.

On one hand, that doesn’t seem particularly good. Every team in the NFL plays at least two safeties regularly, so one could assume that anywhere from 10-20 teams across the league have a better safety than Epps – the number is 16, according to PFF – but when you consider just how poorly the rest of the Eagles safeties have played, it’s a very welcomed change of pace.

Anthony Harris, the Eagles’ “prized” free agent addition, hasn’t quite been the same since he exchanged Minnesota Vikings purple for midnight green, and he ranks 75th out of 92 eligible safeties as a result. He’s been inefficient against the run, a non-factor on the blitz, and has been out of position far too often for a veteran safety who played in the very same Mike Zimmer defense that taught Jonathan Gannon the fundamentals of defensive playcalling.

And as for Rodney McLeod, the elder statesman of the Eagles’ secondary? Well, he hasn’t been much better, ranking 72nd among safeties over his first 537 defensive snaps on the season. Call it a hangup from a late start to the season following a late 2020 torn ACL, but McLeod hasn’t looked as effective this season as in seasons past, with his long-term role with the team very much up in the air. While I’d venture to assume McLeod had a better chance of returning in 2022 than Harris if the price isn’t right, he could be on the way out too.

Factor in K’Von Wallace, who ranks below both Harris and McLeod but doesn’t have enough snaps to qualify for a ranking, and the position grouping many a fan thought would be a strength over the summer has turned into the Epps show, even if he only plays 49 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

So what is it that makes Epps so special? What has he been doing better this season than in the previous one and thus established himself as a viable contributor worthy of a longer look?

Well, for one thing, Epps has been a very effective run defender, where he ranks eighth among qualifying players, according to PFF. While Epps only spends about a quarter of his snaps in the box, Gannon’s defense is predicated on safeties running downfield on running plays, which has proven to be a bit of a specialty for the collegiate Cowboy. Factor in his deceptively potent hit power, and running backs seldom breathe easy when 22 goes in for the tackle.

Epps has also proven himself a solid zone operator at the back of the defense, keeping would-be ball handlers in front of him to limit YAC. Granted, that hasn’t stopped opposing receivers from getting theirs, as Epps had allowed 19 catches for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but as fans in Philly know all too well, when 22 is tasked with covering one-on-one, you’re just asking for trouble.

In an ideal world, the Eagles would upgrade both safety spots with a veteran contributor like Jessie Bates and a rookie like Kyle Hamilton but considering Epps is still under contract for less than $1 million in 2022, keeping 22 around makes a ton of sense.

Did anyone honestly expect us to be here, with Marcus Epps in the middle of a breakout season and the Philadelphia Eagles’ cornerbacks group head and shoulders better than their safeties? Yeah, me neither, but hey, that’s what’s fun about professional football; you never know what you’re gonna get until the games are actually played.