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

Heading into the 2022 NFL season, Marcus Epps was widely considered the weakest link on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ defense.

A part-time performer in 2021 who was ranked the best safety on the team by PFF but only played 48 percent of their defensive snaps, some openly opined over whether or not Epps would be able to shoulder a bigger workload with grace or if his game would fall apart a la his notorious performance against D.K. Metcalf early in his career.

The addition of Jaquiski Tartt, James Bradberry’s teammate at Samford who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and spent his entire NFL career with a shiny gold helmet on his dome, helps to elevate that concern at least somewhat. Though he’s yet to play for Jonathan Gannon at any point in his career and isn’t what you would call a game-changing talent, Tartt has played 3,161 more snaps than Epps at this point in his career and could prove a steady snap eater at the back of the secondary.

But hey, just because Tartt is back doesn’t mean the Philadelphia Eagles should completely write off Epps. If anything, Tartt’s addition could be the very thing that pushes Epps to become a full-time starter long-term.

Marcus Epps could still have a future with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ top-three safeties heading into the 2022 NFL season, Marcus Epps, Jaquiski Tartt, and Anthony Harris, have one thing in common: They will all be free agents in March of 2022.

Now granted, as quite literally every free agency period in NFL history clearly shows, the Eagles could opt to re-sign one, two, or even all three of the players if they want to, and the two sides can agree to a contract, but realistically, that probably won’t happen. No, after largely relying on one-year deals to plug the holes in the back of their secondary since the tandem of Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod were broken up, the Eagles would surely like to settle on at least one, if not two performers who could be hallmarks of the defense for years to come.

Of those three players, Epps is the youngest and thus, could theoretically stick around for the longest time if his on-field performances work out.

With experience playing in the box but mostly deployed deep both as a single high safety under Jim Schwartz and in the split look opposite Harris the Birds deployed in 2021, Epps knows exactly what Jonathan Gannon is looking for production-wise from the position and has the athletic measurables to fill the role. If he’s able to make the right calls over the summer and in the preseason, Epps’ prowess as a run-defender, when coupled with his extensive experience as a split-look defender could keep him steadily in the team’s plans this fall, regardless of whether he’s listed as a starter or used in defensive sub-packages as a third safety.

Who knows, maybe Jaquiski Tartt was brought in to pad out the big nickel package? Maybe the coaching staff really isn’t sold on K’Von Wallace, and the addition of Tartt could allow the team to run a three-safety platoon a la their defensive line rotation? Or hey, maybe Marcus Epps has been rough this summer, and the Philadelphia Eagles simply want a veteran performer to take his place. Either way, we will find out soon enough.