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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles Called Potential Landing Spot For All-Pro Safety
Eagles Called Potential Landing Spot For All-Pro Safety originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Eagles have a clear question mark at safety this year. The trade of C.J. Gardner-Johnson has created a conundrum for the organization. Advertisement Former third-round pick Sydney Brown and current second-round rookie Andrew Mukuba are expected to compete for the starting role. Alongside current starter Reed Blankenship, the two youngsters are set to engage in the most significant position battle of the offseason. Of course, if the Eagles aren't satisfied, they could always go to the free-agent market. Former All-Pro safety Justin Simmons remains available. If the team isn't confident in either of its young prospects, it could always consider bringing in the veteran. CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin shared a list of five teams that should have interest in Simmons, with the Eagles remaining as one of them. Advertisement "This is the fit that makes all the sense in the world, hence Simmons publicly and repeatedly identifying the Eagles as a preferred destination," Benjamin said. "Philly could use proven insurance at safety after dealing ball hawk C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, and Simmons played some of his finest football under Vic Fangio." This is the offseason deal that everyone has been predicting for months now. Simmons was once upon a time one of the best players in the league, with Vic Fangio (now in Philly) as his play-caller. Everything about it makes sense ... except for Simmons' age. Philadelphia has wanted to get younger on the defensive side of the ball. Bringing in a veteran like Simmons, 31,l who is coming off a down year, would conflict with that. So, while he may feel like a good fit to some, it seems unrealistic at this point for the 2025 team. Advertisement Related: Eagles Biggest 'Hidden' Schedule Matchup Driven by 'Hate' Related: Eagles' Reed Blankenship Could Be Next Up for Major Move This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles Defense Called 'Miles Ahead' of Last Year's Top Unit
Eagles Defense Called 'Miles Ahead' of Last Year's Top Unit originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Last season, Vic Fangio and his experienced staff gave the Philadelphia Eagles a crash course on playing defense. Advertisement Things are different this time, even if the team is reeling from some concerning offseason losses. Philadelphia lost several starters from its championship defense last year. Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Darius Slay, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are just some of the key starters who will be on different teams this year. That doesn't mean the Eagles will be worse on defense, though. Speaking on the Exciting Mics podcast with teammates Reed Blankenship and Cooper DeJean, All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun discussed how this year's unit could be very different. In the best possible way. "To think that was all of our first year in that scheme. Like, what are we going to do next year? Baun stated. "Already, I feel like we're miles ahead of where we were last year at this time." Advertisement Scheme alone can win out in the NFL. When a scheme is married with top talent, the effects can be among the best in the league. That is exactly what the Eagles did last season. Fangio's system allowed Philadelphia's top defense to excel, and it's how the team shut down one of the biggest blowout efforts in Super Bowl LIX. With another year under the Fangio scheme, Philadelphia's defense has a chance to be even more "put together" than last season. If the team can successfully build off their dominant season last year, the defense can be another catalyst for a potential repeat effort. It looks that way, regardless. Advertisement Related: Eagles Biggest 'Hidden' Schedule Matchup Driven by 'Hate' Related: Eagles' Reed Blankenship Could Be Next Up for Major Move This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
