Healthy Again, K'Von Wallace Eager for First Preseason Game
PHILADELPHIA – Nick Sirianni didn't commit on Tuesday morning to naming who will or won’t play in Thursday night’s second preseason game, not until the Eagles rookie head coach looks at the tape from the past two days of practice with the New England Patriots.
One player who will play for sure is safety K’Von Wallace.
The news was not good last week, just 48 hours before the exhibition opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that Wallace suffered a groin injury during a one-on-one drill against tight end Zach Ertz.
“It was very frustrating,” said Wallace. “I feel like last year if I would’ve had a preseason, I would’ve probably gotten more playing time, so I had to prove myself. I had to prove myself in actual games when it counted, and I couldn’t have any mistakes.
“Preseason it’s all about getting better and I feel like I missed the opportunity last year due to the pandemic, but it was a blessing in disguise because now I feel like I’m more ready now than I ever could be.”
Wallace said he felt OK after the groin stretched when he hyperextended his leg covering Ertz, but the team didn’t want to jeopardize his health further and risk losing him for the season.
"I am the Wolverine," said Wallace. "I heal fast. Even injuries last year, I injured my shoulder versus the Ravens last year, came back within a week. They said I’d be out three weeks, four weeks, came back within a week. It’s just a blessing from God. I eat healthily, I am healthy and I heal fast."
Wallace, of course, knows the only Wolverine in Eagles history is Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins. The second-year safety said he and Dawkins, both produced by Clemson, talk often, but rarely about football.
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With Wallace out, Marcus Epps stepped up and played well against the Steelers.
Epps got 52 snaps and made seven tackles. Also, Andrew Adams, Blake Countess and Elijah Riley made the most of their increased snaps with Wallace on the shelf.
Adams got 44 snaps, after having just been cleared from the reserve/COVID list just days earlier, Countess played 31 snaps, after just being signed and, like Epps, had seven tackles, and Riley got 31 snaps and made an interception.
Wallace is eager for his opportunity, for the first preseason game of his career.
He has gotten reps both inside the box at safety and back deep. Known mostly as a physical, box safety, Wallace is keen to show that in a game he can play deep, too.
“You watch camp, I’ve been balling back in the middle as a safety,” he said. “I’ve been getting my hands on balls all camp, so I feel confident. I’m healthy, I feel confident. I feel like I’m as healthy as I’ve been, I’m as confident as I’ve been. I’ve got a great system. The teammates, we’re a brotherhood, we have unity, so I feel like this is a special year coming for me and the team.”
For Wallace, that building toward something potentially special began in training camp, on the heels of a rookie season that saw him play just 18 percent of the defensive reps.
“Each day we’re stacking these days,” he said, “and I feel more and more comfortable with the play calling, more and more comfortable with whatever JG (defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon) is calling.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
