The Philadelphia Eagles have a significant roster gap at strong safety following Reed Blankenship's departure. Marcus Epps is currently slated to start, but the team may need to rely on converted cornerbacks if he is injured.
Key points
Philadelphia Eagles have a roster hole at strong safety
Marcus Epps is expected to start at strong safety
Reed Blankenship is no longer on the team
Eagles may rely on converted cornerbacks if Epps is injured
Mike Maccagnan is a recent addition to the Eagles' front office
Mentioned in this story
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Philadelphia Eagles
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 19: Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps (39) looks on before the NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles on October 19th, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 19: Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps (39) looks on before the NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles on October 19th, 2025, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
***Letâs get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links âŠ***
Biggest roster holes for all 32 NFL teams following the draft â ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles â Strong safety. Andrew Mukuba had an excellent rookie season at one safety position, but the Eagles have questions at the other with Reed Blankenship gone. The starter penciled in is Marcus Epps, who started four games last season after returning to the Eagles following two seasons with Las Vegas. If Epps were hurt, the Eagles might have to use a converted cornerback such as Michael Carter II or Jonathan Jones, or perhaps J.T. Gray. Gray is a former All-Pro special teams gunner, but he didnât play a defensive snap in the 2025 regular season.
Mike Maccagnanâs name sticks out here since he served as the New York Jetsâ general manager from 2015-2019 before he was ultimately replaced by Joe Douglas, who returned to Philly last year. Funny that theyâre now both on the Eagles. Maccagnan is a Hightstown, New Jersey native (shout out Mercer County) whose front office career began as a scouting intern with the back in 1990. The Jets were 24-40 during his four-year tenure as GM, though itâs not like theyâve gotten any better since his departure. Prior to joining the Jets, Maccagnan built a reputation as a respected executive for his contributions to the from 2000-2014. Howie Roseman is no stranger to adding former high-ranking front office members to his staff; he previously hired former GM Dave Caldwell, for example, and the Eagles currently employ former vice president of player personnel Matt Russell in addition to the aforementioned Douglas. With the Eagles losing multiple key front office members this offseason, adding Maccagnan to help offset those loses seems sensible.
As long as weâre on silly Patriots trade rumors, I got asked by a few different people a week ago if the Patriots selected first-rounder Caleb Lomu with the intent of including him in the A.J. deal. Apparently an Eagles content creator put that out there? Anyway (looking at content creators), guys⊠come on. As the playoffs showed last season (especially in the Super Bowl), the Pats have an obvious need for offensive line help. Lomu was a very logical projection to them, especially with starting RT playing in his age 35 season in 2026. But more importantly, the Pats traded up for him! If Lomu were selected with the intent of trading him to the Eagles, are we presuming that Howie Roseman worked together with the Patriots in trading up for him? Really? And then also, would the Eagles have taken another offensive tackle early in the third round if they were expecting Lomu to be sent to them in June? Respectfully, think things through for a minute before you put stuff out there. Anyway, if Iâm guessing what the A.J. Brown trade looks like, put me down for a 1 in 2028, and maybe a 3 in 2027? Something like that. But I would lean toward no other players being included.
Join Executive Vice President and General Manager Howie Roseman as he takes you through one of his favorite weekends of the year, the 2026 NFL Draft. Go behind the scenes of the key decisions that go into drafting a new Eagle. All this and more in the latest episode of All-Access, presented by Lincoln Financial.
From Sam Mooney (@SamMooney4): Most everyone outside of Philly dislikes Big Dom. EVERYONE in the organization or that has ever been in the organization loves him. What can you say to people outside of the organization that would change their perspective of him? Thank you!! [âŠ] Sam, Big Dom has the implicit trust of the coaches and front-office personnel that he works with, and most players, too. Part of that is heâs really good at his job. Anyone in his role has to be connected, within the cities where they work and specifically within law enforcement, to protect the organization and everyone in it. Domâs always been great in that area. The other piece of the puzzle here is that he works with GM Howie Roseman in doing background work on draft prospects and potential veteran acquisitions. And the information he helps gather is a pretty important piece of the team-building puzzle.
Uar Bernard has become a source of borderline indecent fascination in the NFL â the kind of prospect who underscores how athletes are identified and the inherent limits of pro football scouting itself. A swole 6ft 4in and 306lbs, Uar (pronounced OO-ar) Bernard doesnât just look the part of a fearsome defensive lineman; fans post his shirtless photos next to ones of , the game-wrecking pass rusher who set the regular-season sack record last year. Veteran NFL analyst Lance Zierlein described Bernard as âone of the rarest of physical specimens Iâve seen in the sportâ. Other people who have spent their lifetimes in football say Bernard looks like a Marvel creation. George Whitfield â who has been a private coach to pros such as and â likened Bernard to the NBAâs 7ft 4in Victor Wembanyama, another sports star whose physical traits seem alien even among other professional athletes. Bernardâs testing numbers bordered on otherworldly: a 4.63-second 40-yard dash, a 39-inch vertical, the 10ft 10in broad jump â or 14in farther than the next-best defensive end prospect. Scouts were awestruck by Bernardâs 6% body fat â which would be considered low for a marathon runner â down from the 11% that he started with at the beginning of his draft training four months earlier.
Sorry, Nikki Bella fans. It appears Cooper DeJean has moved on. And his new love interest might come as a shock to Eagles fans â because she isnât just a Netflix star, sheâs also a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. After appearing to date the professional wrestler, who attended Eagles games in DeJeanâs jersey and responded to chants directed at her during a WWE stop in Philadelphia, the third-year cornerback has been spotted publicly multiple times with cheerleader Abby Summers, most recently at this weekendâs Kentucky Derby.
Dallas has the #4 most difficult schedule in the league. Last year they had it easy. Weâll see how Dallas handles playing tougher opponents. That will challenge their coaches and players in a big way. The Cowboys are a more talented team this year. They are better constructed. They seem to have a good plan in place. They deserve lots of praise. I also think they are going to be challenged in some ways that are being overlooked. Most importantly of all, they must have their key guys stay healthy. Thatâs been an issue in recent years. They could challenge the Eagles for the NFC East, but I see Dallas as more of a wild card team this year. Offseason hype rarely matches regular season performance.
LB . By drafting and trading for , the Cowboys have upgraded the LB position, but they shouldnât stop there. Although he turns 36 in June, Bobby Wagner is still performing like a Top 10 player at his position in the league. By signing him the Cowboys would not only solidify the LB position, but also give them a veteran who has seen it all to wear the green dot and be a mentor to Dallasâ young LBs. In what shapes up to be a very young defensive unit, Wagnerâs addition in Dallas could prove to be invaluable for this year.
No. 1 QB (re-signed, 1 year). In 2024, I was deeply disappointed when I learned that the Commanders had signed Mariota to a $6m one-year deal. Well, MM made me a believer with everything he did that season. Last year, I was thrilled to have him back at $8m. This year, I mightâve been ready to move on to a younger, cheaper backup if there hadnât been so much turmoil; with the change at OC, QB coach and OL coach, continuity with Mariota feels like itâs worth the $7.3m cap hit that OTC reports for the position. Hopefully, next season, the backup will be Athan Kaliakmanis, or someone similar.
WR Jalin Hyatt/Isaiah Hodgins. Truth is, and Hodgins have been on the 2026 roster bubble since the second the 2025 season ended. The hiring of Harbaugh as head coach made their mountain tougher to climb because neither contributes to special teams. The trade-up to select in the draft brought yet another obstacle. In my post-draft 53-man roster projection, I had , , , , Malachi Fields, and making the team. Thatâs six receivers. If the Giants keep a seventh, strong special teamers like and might have an advantage.
6 NFL coaches on the hot seat to start 2026 â SB Nation
Shane Steichen, . The Colts were on one of the most impressive tears in the NFL to start 2025, but an injury to derailed a possible playoff run. That more or less took Steichen back to where he was a year ago, back in a âprove itâ situation. Since becoming the Colts head coach in 2023 the team has gone 25-and-26, failing to make the playoffs in three seasons. If that becomes a fourth year then he could follow the same path as Jonathan Gannon, who hired at the same time as Steichen after being on the Eaglesâ staff, only to see a coaching run come to an end quickly.
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Q&A
Who is the starting strong safety for the Philadelphia Eagles?
Marcus Epps is currently penciled in as the starting strong safety for the Philadelphia Eagles.
What happened to Reed Blankenship on the Eagles roster?
Reed Blankenship is no longer with the Philadelphia Eagles, creating a need for a strong safety.
What are the Philadelphia Eagles' options if Marcus Epps gets injured?
If Marcus Epps is injured, the Eagles may have to use converted cornerbacks like Michael Carter II or Jonathan Jones.
Who are the Philadelphia Eagles' recent front office hires?
The Eagles recently hired Mike Maccagnan, a former Jets general manager, to help strengthen their front office.
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