Four Free Agent Safeties Available For Eagles To Sign And Compete With Marcus Epps For Starting Job

Safety is one of the top priorities remaining on the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason.

The Eagles have a starter in Andrew Mukuba. Who plays next to him remains a mystery.

Marcus Epps is the favorite to start opposite Mukuba at this stage in the offseason. Michael Carter, J.T. Gray, and seventh-round pick Cole Wisniewski are also in the mix to compete for a starting job. Cooper DeJean is expected to go to safety in base package, but the Eagles run that less than 10% of the total defensive snaps.

The Eagles are looking to improve at safety, even with the free agent market not being robust. There are some trade candidates that could entice the Eagles, but what if the Eagles choose the free agent route?

Are there any free agent safties available that can compete with Epps? There are a few options that could come compete for a starting role, and provide much needed depth at the position.

Donovan Wilson

Wilson may be the top free agent safety available, as he's started 75 games for the Dallas Cowboys over the last seven years. A starter in Dallas over the past four seasons, Wilson had 101 tackles and 5.0 sacks in 2022 and has recorded 80+ tackles in three of the past four seasons.

The Eagles don't need a coverage safety, but a ball hawk is preferred. Wilson is more of a box safety, evidenced by his 9.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits over the past four years.

Wilson isn't great in coverage, as opposing quarterbacks targeting him have a 94.8 passer rating against him as the primary defender. He allowed eight touchdown passes last year and 13 over the past two seasons.

If the Eagles were to sign Wilson, he would have to be used as a box safety in order to be effective. Wilson has been a liability in coverage over the last two years, with two different defensive systems in place.

Ashtyn Davis

Davis had his first significant playing time as a starting safety since 2020 with the New York Jets in his lone year with the Miami Dolphins, starting 12 games and playing 75% of the defensive snaps.

Davis had 65 tackles and one interception on the year. Like Wilson, Davis was also a liability in coverage as opposing quarterbacks had an 87.2 passer rating off him as the primary defender and had two touchdown passes.

The Eagles wouldn't have to pay much to get Davis, but he would be battling with Carter, Gray, and Wisniewski on the depth chart as much as Epps for the starting job. Davis would be just another body to compete at safety.

Xavier Woods

Woods has been a starting safety in the league for the past eight seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, and Tennessee Titans. The 30-year-old veteran started 10 of 11 games played with the Titans last year, having 31 tackles, a sack, and two interceptions.

Woods had a strong season in coverage last year, as opposing quarterbacks targeting him as the primary defender had a 54.4 passer rating with just one passing touchdown. Woods has allowed a passer rating under 65.0 in each of the last four seasons.

If the Eagles want another playmaker in the secondary, Woods would be a good candidate to start. Age could be a concern, but Epps is also on this roster at 30 years old.

With Epps on the roster, perhaps bringing in Woods would be redundant.

Taylor Rapp

Rapp has been a consistent starter in the league since his rookie season (2019), but a serious knee injury led to his release in Buffalo. Who knows how healthy Rapp is at this stage of his career, especially since the knee injury lingered throughout the season -- until season-ending surgery.

As the primary defender in coverage, Rapp has allowed just two passing touchdowns over the past three seasons. When healthy, Rapp is a reliable starter and only 28 years old -- a gamble that may be worth taking.

Perhaps the Eagles take a flyer on Rapp, but he'll have to pass his physical. He failed it in Buffalo in March, which led to his release from the Bills.

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