The Philadelphia Eagles plan to rest the majority of their starters in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders, opening the door for backups to get increased snaps to close out the campaign. That's great news for quarterback Tanner McKee. It could also lead to an uptick for defenders like safety Sydney Brown, which isn't ideal considering how bad he has looked this season.
Brown has been in a reserve role for the bulk of the season, starting just one game before getting sent back to the bench again. One area where he's consistently gotten snaps is special teams, and yet again, he has been underwhelming there.
Tom Kelly of SportsRadio 94WIP tweeted on Dec. 28 and asked for the Eagles to part ways with Brown. He pointed out his lack of involvement on defense and continued special teams' penalties, as reasons why Philadelphia should move on.
That same feeling is one many Eagles fans have, and Brown's disappointing season is to blame.
Sydney Brown’s Performance in 2025 Has Fans Asking for His Release
On the season, Brown has played in 317 special teams reps, but has lacked in that area. According to Pro Football Focus, he owns a 56.1 special teams grade, while committing six penalties. That's a high number for a player who plays the majority of his snaps on special teams.
There are other ways players can be impactful, and special teams is one of them. Being a stout gunner on punts or consistently making tackles on punt/kickoff returns shows the coaching staff that someone can still be an impactful player on the team. Especially if they don't bring much of anything to other parts of the team.
That's the boat where Brown is, but he hasn't been able to answer that call. PFF also has him logging a 54.8 overall grade, 58.4 run-defense grade, and a 54.7 coverage grade. All of these numbers are a letdown, indicating he hasn't been able to make a positive impact anywhere for this team.
Brown has one year left on his rookie deal, on the books at $1.57 million for the 2026 season, per Spotrac. That's a low number; however, it still might be too much to pay him based on how he's played. Reed Blankenship is set to hit free agency, and it wouldn't be a shocker to see Philadelphia bring him back, giving another reason to move on from Brown.
They also have Andrew Mukuba, who will be back for the 2026 season. At the same time, Marcus Epps has stepped in and provided them with a stable floor in Philadelphia. There's a world where the Eagles roll with Blankenship, Epps, and Mukuba as their trio at safety and find another safety elsewhere.
There's still time for a decision to be made, but Brown's play in 2025 certainly opened the door for this conversation.