Philadelphia Eagles: 2 recently waived safeties worth pursuing

1. Troy Apke

If the Philadelphia Eagles want to pursue a safety more for his athletic testing numbers than his scheme experience, there isn’t a more intriguing option on the open market than Troy Apke.

A hybrid college defender who called Happy Valley home from 2014-17, Apke famously ran a 4.34 40 time at the 2018 NFL Combine and was drafted by Washington in the fourth round in the hopes of developing into a longtime starter at free safety. Initially spending his time mostly on special teams, Apke slowly but surely carved out a role in Washington’s defense first under Greg Manusky, then under Ron Rivera before curiously being moved to cornerback in Week 6 of the 2021 NFL season to unspectacular results.

Is Apke an immediate upgrade over Epps, Harris, or even Tartt? No, probably not; he was benched in 2021 for a reason and was waived on Tuesday for a reason too. Still, with 651 snaps on defensive and 876 more on special teams on his resume, there’s little reason to think putting a flyer on Apke couldn’t produce at least mildly encouraging results, as he could be a 17-game special teams contributor capable of playing from time to time on defense if need be.

Considering Jonathan Gannon wants safeties who can play Cover 2, make good decisions, and provide support against the run, having a wide-framed safety with Quez Watkins’ speed could prove to be a weapon both now and moving forward if he can figure it all out.

Were there any waived players that you would like to see the Eagles sign? Let us know!