The Philadelphia Eagles have made a big move at Safety. Sydney Brown has been traded to the Falcons in a deal that involves two draft pick swaps, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
After losing Reed Blankenship to free agency, the Eagles were already light on depth. On the surface, trading away a former third-round draft pick didn't make too much sense. But it was later announced that the team was bringing back Marcus Epps along with J.T Gray. Both new players will receive one-year deals.
The Eagles climb the draft order in two rounds in exchange for the services of Brown, who had a great rookie year but has been otherwise inconsistent in Philadelphia. Sporadic tackling has haunted the Illinois product. The former third-round pick ends his Eagles tenure with 42 appearances, 86 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and a pair of interceptions, including a pick six.Epps spent four years in Philadelphia before a two-year stint with the Raiders. He then returned to the City of Brotherly Love, recording 21 tackles in limited snaps last season.
J.T Gray is entering his ninth season, eight of which have been spent with the Saints. A core special teamer, Gray has been known to make a defensive impact at times and will add an insurance policy for the Eagles.
To move up a few spots and acquire two safeties, one who already has familiarity with the team, is a strong move from GM Howie Roseman. Brown would've likely been in a depth role again, so adding two names to fill that void does make sense given how light starting-level talent is at the position currently.
