Eagles Could Start Undrafted Free Agent At Safety in Week 14

Darius Slay couldn’t do it. Neither could DeVonta Smith or Lane Johnson. Ben VanSumeren did, though. That makes the odds that Reed Blankenship can do it slim.

The Eagles safety and interceptions leader with three went into concussion protocol during the Eagles’ 24-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, which probably makes him a longshot to play in Sunday’s home game against the Carolina Panthers.

Slay missed last week’s game in the protocol. Earlier this year, Smith and Johnson missed a game, too.

If Blankenship can’t get right for Week 14’s matchup, it would appear Tristin McCollum would make the first start of his brief NFL career despite a pair of “I think” in an answer by Vic Fangio about the 25-year-old McCollum.

“Tristin is a guy that I think has good talent, good ability to play the position,” said the defensive coordinator. “He's young, inexperienced. I believe as he gets more and more reps, he'll be better and better, which is not rocket science. The more you practice, the more you play, the better you get. I like his movement. I think he can be a good safety.”

It was McCollum who entered in relief of Blankenship on Sunday and played 21 snaps, making four tackles. He should have had an interception, too, when Lamar Jackson threw one at him late in the game.

“I was really surprised he threw it, but it was fourth down so he kind of had to,” said McCollum.

McCollum had 41 snaps against Tampa Bay on Sept. 29 when Blankenship left that game early with an injury. He four solo tackles and seven total in that game, which was the last time the Eagles lost a game.

In garbage time against the Rams, McCollum was the first safety in and recorded eight snaps. The undrafted free agent of the Houston Texans in 2022, has played in 12 games with the Eagles – three last year and nine so far this season.

The oddity, though, is that McCollum was also inactive for three straight weeks, taking a seat for the Jaguars, Cowboys, and Commanders’ wins.

Either way, McCollum has seemingly surpassed Sydney Brown as the next safety up. A lot of that could be due to Brown’s delayed start to the season while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in last year’s regular-season finale. Brown has played just 27 snaps in six games since his return, but 170 special teams snaps.

Fangio could be waiting for Brown to get a better handle on his defense, because, right now, McCollum looks like the next man up behind Blankenship.