From Dark Days To Eagles Roster? Why Marcus Epps Is Hoping To Stay In His Second Home

PHILADELPHIA – Marcus Epps played every snap in the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. The safety, who was teamed with C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the back end, finished third on the team in regular-season tackles in that 2022 season with 95, behind T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, while playing nearly 1,100 defensive snaps over 17 games.

A month later, he was out the door, off to the Raiders on a two-year deal worth $12 million, $10 million of which was guaranteed. He was a player on the rise and played 91 percent of the snaps for an eight-win Raiders team. Then, injury struck, as it does for so many who play this game. For Epps, it was a torn ACL in Week 3 of the 2024 season.

The Raiders released him at the end of training camp last summer and the Eagles added him to their practice squad. He was elevated and played in 12 games. The Eagles thought enough of him to sign him to a one-year deal in the offseason, right around the same time they traded Sydney Brown to the Falcons.

“I worked real hard to get back to where I'm at,” said Epps after Day 16 of Eagles training camp. “There was a lot of dark days, but I still got work to do. I haven't arrived by any means…

“That ACL rehab is, is really tough, both physically and mentally. Like I said, it was definitely a lot of dark days, a lot of days of just wondering or being unsure about the future. But, you know, the biggest thing, I just put my head down, I grinded it out (and) tried to stay as positive as I could. I'm just blessed to be in this position I'm in now after going through that.”

Marcus Epps Hoping To Stay In "Special Place"

Epps is locked in a battle to start on the back end of the Eagles’ defense with Michael Carter.

“Just trying to stay grounded and keep my head down and keep on working,” he said. “You know, still got a lot of things I gotta work on and clean up, so that's where my focus is, just continuing to get better.”

The assumption is Epps will make the roster, even if Carter earns the starting nod, but you never know until you know.

He’s 30 now. He was just 23 when he first joined the Eagles in 2019 from the Vikings. He spent four years in Philly and is hoping to stay longer after two years with Las Vegas.

“This is a special place to me,” he said. “It's like a second home. I just love being here, love working with the people in this building….

“It's cool being the older guy, being able to be somebody that the younger guys could lean on, continue to pass down knowledge and pass down game to these guys,” he said. “I don't take that for granted. It's an important role in every locker room, and I don't take it for granted.”

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