The Philadelphia Eagles are set to get a nice boost to their secondary after their Week 5 bye week.
Injured starting safety Sydney Brown is expected to make his way off the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list and return to practice.
Brown has spent the start of the season rehabbing an ACL injury he suffered during the Eagles' 2023 regular-season finale against the New York Giants.
While he's clear to come off the PUP list as early as next week, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio hints that Brown's return could take a bit longer. So, whether or not he's ready to go Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals remains to be seen.
"We’ll see," Fangio said. "We’re excited to get him coming back. We all have to have some patience, which I know isn’t a big virtue amongst any of us at this time of the year. The guy hadn’t played any football since his injury, I believe was the first week of January last year.
"Here we are, in October, and his OTAs and training camp are going to have to be squished together fast, which he is ready to do mentally and emotionally. But we have to be careful ourselves to not overdo it with him. Overdo it from a physical standpoint and an expectation standpoint."
The Eagles' secondary has struggled this season so having Brown in the fold sooner rather than later will be huge for the Birds, even if he is playing minimal snaps.
Fangio wouldn't give away his plan for Brown yet, but mentioned once again he's excited for his return.
"I think he’s a good football player that brings energy," Fangio said. "I think he’s a good tackler. I’m excited to see him, you know, for the first time. Because I do think he’s a good football player. Where he’ll exactly fit in, we’ll have to see."
This is Year 2 for Brown, who was selected out of Illinois in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, and he is expected to take massive strides once he's healthy again.
As a rookie, it didn't take long for Brown to adjust to the NFL level, appearing in 14 games (five starts), registering 45 tackles, three passes defended, one forced fumble and an interception that he returned for a 99-yard touchdown.
