The Philadelphia Eagles held their first preseason game on Thursday night. Despite the 34-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, there’s a lot of work to be done when deciding who will make the 53-man roster and whether they need to bring in players to fill key roles.
The Eagles took a step in this direction when they acquired Jakorian Bennett in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders last week. But more moves could be on the way and the performance of one starter could pave the way to add a Pro Bowler in the coming weeks.
Sydney Brown’s Injury Opens the Door for Eagles to Sign Justin Simmons
The Eagles were counting on Sydney Brown to fill one of their starting roles at safety this season and the third-year veteran appeared to have the runway cleared as safety Andrew Mukuba has been held back by a shoulder injury. While Brown showed his aggressive playing style tackling his brother and Bengals running back Chase Brown early in the game, it came back to bite him when he collided with Cincinnati rookie Tahj Brooks in the second quarter.
Sydney Brown flies downhill in the run game but he simply won’t ever make it through a season playing this recklessly. Terrible tackling form and gets injured on the play. pic.twitter.com/E3SKlVx6Ia
— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) August 8, 2025
Brown pointed at his shoulder and went to the medical tent after the play, but appeared to be fine after the game. While his blue tent experience proved just to be a scare, it also reminds the Eagles they would be best served adding depth before the season begins.
This is where Simmons comes into play. A two-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro has been campaigning to join the Eagles this offseason and NFL Media’s Brian Baldinger went as far as suggesting the Eagles should “find him a house in New Jersey,” because “He’s gonna be here.”
Simmons also noted his previous relationship with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio as he played three seasons for him during his time as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
“Going to Philly with Vic, you know exactly what you're getting out of me and I know exactly what I’m getting out of them. Because I’ve been in the system,” Simmons said during an interview with FanDuel’s Kay Adams this spring. “I still have a ways to go to mastering it but there’s some things and nuances that I know that Vic likes, that I know that [passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach] Christian Parker likes. I think I could really help in that area.”
Justin Simmons.... to Philly?!!
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) April 8, 2025
Fangio. Let's make it happen. #FlyEaglesFly @jsimms1119 pic.twitter.com/fPk98sCro0
Thursday night’s game showed that the feelings could be mutual. Brown’s aggressive style already forced him to the sidelines and Mukuba has size concerns at 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds coming out of Texas. Simmons knows the Eagles defensive scheme and has a solid track record that could strengthen Philadelphia’s defense and it may be a matter of time before he gets his wish.