The Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary is in a serious state of flux following their ugly Week 11 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Starting safeties Reed Blankenship and Andrew Mukuba both suffered lower-body injuries in the 24-21 defeat.
While Blankenship is only dealing with a thigh injury, Mukuba reportedly sustained a fractured leg, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Garafolo adds that the rookie defensive back’s injury will likely require surgery, and he’s headed to injured reserve.
This was the last thing that the Eagles wanted to hear heading into a short week, as their safety depth was already thin. If Blankenship can’t go on Black Friday, the Eagles could throw Sydney Brown into his spot, who could be the long-term answer for Mukuba’s void.
However, that still leaves a vacancy at the other safety spot for Week 13. Cooper DeJean could be an option at safety, but then it takes him away from the slot (his best position). Enter Michael Carter II, whom the Eagles acquired ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month.
Michael Carter II Position Change May Be Eagles' Best Answer to Safety Crisis
When the Eagles pulled off the trade with the New York Jets for the veteran cornerback, many Eagles fans wondered what that meant for the CB2 spot at the time.
Would Carter II immediately start at nickel, which would push DeJean out to the boundary? And as we saw, DeJean’s boundary experiment did not pan out against Dallas. Or would Carter serve as depth and backup for “a break-glass emergency?”
It seems as if it could be the latter with the Eagles’ safety spot not in great shape, just four days before their Black Friday showdown vs. the Bears.
Most Eagles fans know Carter as a slot guy, but the 26-year-old defender was actually a safety at Duke. According to Brooks Kubena of The Athletic, Carter has been working out with safeties coach Joe Kasper, who coached the veteran as a graduate assistant at Duke, cross-training him at safety and nickel.
The Eagles likely didn’t expect that they would possibly have to test out Carter II at safety, but there’s no free agent that they can call in right now to play later this week. Philadelphia will have to trust what it has in-house, meaning Blankenship (if he plays), Brown, Carter II, and potentially Andre Sam, who is on the practice squad.
In his limited snaps (27) with the Eagles, Carter has played 23 in the slot, three in the box, and one on the boundary. And when you look at his time with the Jets, he predominantly played in the slot.
Nevertheless, this will be new territory for the Eagles and Carter, if they go this route for Week 13. It’s not ideal, as you’d rather have a healthy Mukuba, who was playing better as of late.
However, if you can keep your starting CB room in check and add another guy with ball skills at free safety, it's worth a shot to see what you have.