Eagles Position Examination: Safeties (Uncertainty Abounds)

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles have some younger options at the safety position but uncertainty is the theme after a late-season ACL injury to the leader of the secondary, Rodney McLeod, and the pending free agency of the other starter on the back end, Jalen Mills.

Pencil in changes on the coaching staff with first-time defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, whose positional-coaching history is the defensive backfield, and former Jets secondary coach Dennard Wilson essentially swapping positions with Marquand Manuel, Doug Pederson’s 2020 secondary coach.

Also, long-time safeties coach Tim Hauck has left the organization and you can start to understand that there are more questions than answers early in the process for the 2021 Eagles.

Even the short stint of assistant defensive backs coach Jay Valai has to factor in as the veteran coach quickly backed out of his arrival in Philadelphia this week when a better opportunity at Alabama unveiled itself.

As far as the players you have to start with McLeod, 30, who has one of his better seasons while taking on the leadership role Malcolm Jenkins handled so brilliantly before leaving the organization and landing in New Orleans.

McLeod, however, tore his ACL on Dec. 13 of last year against the Saints, the second ACL tear he's suffered in three seasons. Although modern surgery techniques and rehabilitation plans have evolved greatly and nine months is now a realistic target with ACL tears, you do have to factor in that McLeod will turn 31 in June and his prior injury history when projecting forward.

Mills, meanwhile, is a free agent and a favorite of the old coaching staff. It will be interesting to see how Gannon and Co. view MIlls' versatility and whether they want him back and in what kind of role. For what it's worth, Mills recently told CBSSports HQ that he would like to return to Philadelphia under the new coaching staff.

“I’m the Green Goblin, man,” Mills said. “I dyed my hair my rookie year going into training camp, I dyed it green, just for the simple fact that the Eagles took a chance on me in the seventh round. I wanted to show my love for the city.

“My first day after I got drafted, I came to Philadelphia, I literally had a fan at a Philly cheesesteak spot tell me, ‘If I was to get cut right now, I would bleed green.’ When you got fans that passionate, man, why not want to play for them? Why not want to play for an organization that I won a Super Bowl with? I love it. I love it in Philadelphia.”

The top backups are Marcus Epps and K'Von Wallace, a rookie fourth-round pick in 2020.

Epps is a former sixth-round pick by Minnesota in 2019, a player who the Vikings took a flyer on the former walk-on at Wyoming because they liked his natural instincts in coverage. When Epps got to Philadelphia off waivers in November of his rookie season, the Eagles' defensive coaches mentioned the same thing pretty consistently.

Epps got some opportunities in 2020 due to injuries and led the team in interceptions with two despite the limited playing time.

Gannon, meanwhile, cut his teeth under Mike Zimmer as a quality control coach and assistant defensive backs coach in Minnesota from 2014-17 and likes to play cover-2 behind an attacking front. That means Gannon is going to see what Zimmer sees and instinctive players in coverage will be paramount.

Wallace, meanwhile, was regarded as more of a box safety by the prior coaching staff which could hurt at least a little bit if a boatload of Cover-2 is indeed the plan and the new staff sees similar things.

Developmental prospects on hand include a couple of undrafted rookies from last season - Grayland Arnold and Elijah Riley - as well as Blake Countess, who returned late last season and was inked to a futures deal.

DEPTH CHART

FS: Rodney McLeod

SS: K'Von Wallace

S3: Marcus Epps

S4: Grayland Arnold

S5: Elijan Riley

S6: Blake Countess

FREE AGENTS

The Eagles have two unrestricted free agents at the position in Mills and Rudy Ford, the latter being the best special teams player on the Eagles and one in which new STC Michael Clay will almost surely want back.

Neither player is likely going to break the bank so even with the Eagles' salary-cap difficulties it's not hard to project both returning.

As for potential incoming free agents, the Eagles want to get younger and cheaper, not more expensive so you would be looking for bargains with a history with the coaching staff.

Marcus Maye turned into a really good player under Wilson with the Jets but is expected to command $10 million a season on the open market while Malik Hooker was once the 15th pick in the draft but is coming off a torn Achilles'.

A Western Pennsylvania native who is just 24, perhaps Hooker would take a one-year, prove-it deal to try to get his career restarted with the Eagles. The medical part of it would have to check out, however.

DRAFT

For the second straight year, a safety may not even be taken in the first round with TCU's Trevon Moehrig the only one in the mix. The Eagles haven't valued the position at a high-level anyway but need an upgrade in athleticism at the position. Keep an eye on Mizzouri's Tyree Gillespie in the middle rounds because he's got the kind of recognition skills as a cover-2 deep safety the new coaching staff might covet.

TRADE

The Eagles have plenty of bodies. What they need is a difference-making option and that is likely going to come via a draft hit or on a reclamation project like Hooker.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.