It wouldn't be accurate to call Philadelphia Eagles safety Sydney Brown's recent slide a true "downfall," as he never really reached a high place to fall from. But when you compare his current role (playing a combined 12 defensive snaps since Week 3) to what fans have expected of him, there's nothing but disappointment.
As a 2023 third-round pick, Brown has shown all sorts of flashes, but it's become clear that he's unlikely to develop into a high-level defensive starter. He's more Kelee Ringo than Cooper DeJean, as far as recent DB additions go. And fans seem to have very little interest in even considering a contract extension ahead of the 2026 season, which will be the final year on his deal.
But the strong anti-Brown sentiment brewing has gone way too far. He's gone from maybe-overhyped as a prospect to being flat-out underrated. Fans giving up on him already are missing the bigger picture of what he's already currently offering the Eagles, let alone what potential he still has moving forward.
Brown Feels Like a Bust and a Letdown
I'll admit that it's not hard to see why Brown is written off as a bust. After starting six games as a rookie in 2023, he was only able to get on the field for 79 defensive snaps across 11 games in 2024. He got a chance to redeem himself early in 2025, but he quickly returned to defensive irrelevance after a weak three-game stretch to start the year. Just check out how many games he has with 20-plus defensive snaps each year:
- 2023: 8 games
- 2024: 1 game
- 2025: 1 game
And while in 2024 he was still terrific when he did get some defensive run as he worked his way back from injury, his performance this year didn't live up to that. There's a reason he couldn't beat out Andrew Mukuba, who is earning more of Vic Fangio's trust by the day.
But none of this means he can't provide significant value to the Eagles.
Brown's Hidden Value on Special Teams
Here's a full list of Philadelphia Eagles to play over 80% of the available special teams snaps in a single season in either the Nick Sirianni or Doug Pederson eras (note that this adjusts for injuries/inactive games):
- Sydney Brown, 2025 (80.6%)
- LaRoy Reynolds, 2018 (82.7%)
- Bryan Braman, 2016 (82.5%)
- Chris Maragos, 2016 (82.2%)
In other words, the last time it happened, Josh Adams was the Eagles' leading rusher, and Jalen Hurts was in his junior season in college. It also means that what Brown is doing is entirely unique in the Sirianni era.
Single-Season Special Teams Snap Share Leaders of the Sirianni Era
Player | Season | Snap Share |
|---|---|---|
Sydney Brown | 2025 | 80.6% |
Zech McPhearson | 2022 | 79.9% |
Kelee Ringo | 2024 | 75.9% |
Nakobe Dean | 2022 | 75.1% |
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. | 2025 | 74.5% |
Zech McPhearson | 2021 | 72.7% |
Josh Jobe | 2023 | 72.6% |
Andre Chachere | 2021 | 72.0% |
K'Von Wallace | 2022 | 71.3% |
Oren Burks | 2024 | 71.2% |
So the three names after Brown include McPhearson (a constant special teams mainstay and difference-maker until he tore his Achilles), Ringo (who gets seemingly unlimited chances despite his struggles at corner), and Dean (who developed into a top off-ball linebacker). Pretty good company.
These aren't just empty snaps for Brown, either.
2025 Special Teams Tackle Leaders (Through Week 11)
- Devon Key, DEN: 14
- Luke Gifford, SF: 12
- Kylen Granson, PHI: 11
- Dane Belton, NYG: 11
- Deion Jones, TB: 11
- Ben Skowronek, PIT: 11
- Akeem Davis-Gaither, ARI: 11
- Joe Andreessen, BUF: 11
- Nick Niemann, GB: 10
- Jake Hansen, HOU: 10
- Marlowe Wax, LAC: 10
- Sydney Brown, PHI: 9
Consider that the Eagles are limiting opponents to the NFL's fifth-lowest kick return average (23.2 yards per return) under the new kickoff system, and Brown's difference can be seen in what is now a more significant area of the game than ever before. That's to say nothing, of course, of his blocked punt returned for a touchdown in Week 1.
More Than Just a "Special Teamer"
Most NFL general managers will make space for at least one special teams ace on their roster, but to compare Brown to someone like Zech McPhearson in that role is also doing him a disservice. Brown may not be reliable enough to trust as a starter, but he's absolutely a valuable depth piece at safety.
Does he play aggressively in a way that borders on reckless? Definitely. That makes him a liability to give up big plays in a way that coaches will never be thrilled with. But that same edge does make him a potential difference-maker any time he's on the field. And frankly, his results early this year aren't as bad as they're made out to be. He recorded 24 coverage snaps and was only targeted once. He finished with a combined 6 tackles in that stretch.
Pro Football Focus has him graded out at 64.6 on defensive snaps for the year. That ranks ahead of, among others, Andrew Mukuba (57.5) and Reed Blankenship (43.2) and is good for 12th among 32 graded Eagles defenders.
Even With an Unknown Future, Brown's Impact is Underrated
Even if we're assuming Brown has peaked as a defender at just 25 years old, he's already someone who brings a ton of value to the Eagles.
It may not be the value fans were hoping for from someone drafted at the top of the third round, but there's a big difference between being disappointing relative to expectations and actually being a disappointing NFL player.
There's no need to rush a contract extension for Brown, as he doesn't become an unrestricted free agent until March 2027, but he has already proven himself in a way that fans don't seem willing to give him credit for.