phillyvoice
July 14, 2026 Philadelphia Eagles training camp begins at the end of July, so over the next few weeks we'll detail what we need to see from each positional group heading into the 2026 season.
We'll continue on today with the safeties.
Previous training camp previews Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver Tight end | Offensive tackle | Interior OL Edge defender | Interior DL | Linebacker Cornerback The depth chart at safety is a little wonky, because Cooper DeJean will play there in the base defense, and play in the slot in nickel.
Michael Carter will get opportunities to play some safety as well.
However, they are primarily cornerbacks, which we covered over the weekend.
The depth chart otherwise: | 1 | 2 | 3 | | Andrew Mukuba | Cole Wisniewski | Andre' Sam | | Marcus Epps | J.T.
Gray | Maximus Pulley | Safety is easily the worst starting positional group on the team.
Whatever position is next is a distant second.
After our preview of the team's interior offensive linemen, I received the following email (grammar/spelling uncorrected): To exclude Hinton from your interior line discussion was simply lazy and silly.
The eagles didn't wake up in May and say " let's put him at guard with the second team.
".
He has been converted as was smart given his arm length, strength and athletic ability.
Just like Becton.
He is going to make the 53 at guard.
Mark my words.
Not even mentioning his name is a bad look for someone like you who gets paid to do this and NOTHING ELSE going on.
Jesus I'll just say that writing for a fan base that would get this upset over a guy who was never on the 53-man roster at any point last season is both a blessing and curse.
Anyway, we DID cover Hinton in our offensive tackle preview, and did indeed note that he was cross-training at guard this year.
In the interest of avoiding another such email, this is where I would like to note that, yes, Cooper DeJean will be playing safety in the Eagles' base defense, which they are in less than 20 percent of the time (probably closer to 10 percent than 20 percent).
When they are in nickel, DeJean will play in the slot, Andrew Mukuba will play at one safety spot, and someone else will play in the other safety spot.
Marcus Epps is currently the favorite to be the other starter at safety.
We covered DeJean's multi-positional role in our cornerbacks preview, as well as Michael Carter's ability to play some safety as well.
Oh, and undrafted rookie Kapena Gushiken, too.
He'll play some slot and safety as well.
There.
I think we're covered.
Mukuba was selected in the second round of the 2025 draft, and he won a starting safety job despite missing time during training camp with shoulder and hamstring injuries.
During his rookie season, Mukuba compiled 46 tackles, 2 INTs, and 3 pass breakups.
His biggest play of the season came in Week 2, when he picked off a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for Travis Kelce deep in Eagles territory, and returned it 41 yards.
That was also easily the biggest play in that game.
Mukuba was up and down in the games he played, but was beginning to earn Vic Fangio's trust before he suffered a broken fibula Week 12 in Dallas.
That ended his season.
Mukuba should be a better player in 2026.
We'll see.
But the bigger concern is his durability, since, you know, he had shoulder, hamstring, and fibula injuries last season.
Mukuba measured in at 5'11, 186 at the 2025 NFL Combine, and his ability to stay on the field was a potential knock on scouting reports.
Well, we saw that his rookie season.
As noted in a mailbag post on Monday, the idea of trading for a safety isn't just because the starting spot opposite Mukuba is in question.
It's also because relying on Mukuba to play 17 games is a dicey proposition.
Epps is a solid, smart safety who knows where he should be on the field and he seems to have Fangio's trust.
There's a sentiment that Epps is "fine" as a starting safety, and to some degree, I agree.
He can be a competent starter.
But "fine" is also probably his ceiling, and he has not proven to have takeaways skills over his seven-year career.
He has 3 career INTs and 2 career forced fumbles.
He also only has 18 career pass breakups, and none in 2025.
By comparison, the departed Reed Blankenship had 11 in one season in 2023.
C.J.
Gardner-Johnson had 12 in 2024.
Epps simply doesn't get his hands on many footballs.
He is a comfortable target for opposing quarterbacks because they know the downside is low.
In my opinion, a safety with some legitimate ball skills could absolutely eat playing behind the Eagles' elite cornerback trio of Quinyon Mitchell, DeJean, and Riq Woolen, and I'm not so sure Epps can capitalize in the same way.
Cole Wisniewski is a seventh-round rookie.
He is a big safety at 6'3, 219 whose comfort area is near the line of scrimmage and in run support.
In the past, the Eagles have taken safeties with Wisniewski's size and tried to convert them into linebackers.
Some recent examples of that include Jacoby Stevens (sixth round, 2021) and Nate Gerry (fifth round, 2017).
As you can see in the following highlight reel, Wisniewski likes to play downhill, and he is a physical tackler: Wisniewski is an older prospect at 24 years old who was at North Dakota State for five years before transferring to Texas Tech in 2025.
In his final season at Texas Tech, Wisniewski started all 14 games, making 78 tackles (6 for loss), with a sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 6 pass breakups.
He'll be competing not just for a spot on the 53, but also for a spot on the gameday active 47 as a core special teamer.
J.T.
Gray is an eight-year vet, and a decorated one at that, as he has three All-Pro nods for his work over the years on special teams.
He was a First-Team All-Pro in 2021, and a Second-Team All-Pro in 2019 and 2024.
Gray spent his first seven NFL seasons (2018-2024) with the New Orleans Saints, and was with three different teams the Ravens, Broncos, and Buccaneers in 2025.
Gray blocked a punt against the Eagles in 2024 (h/t Deniz Selmon) when he was still with the Saints.
He feels like a guy who the Eagles can bring back to their practice squad if they like what they see from him in camp.
Andre' Sam is a guy who has been around the team for a while now.
He was an undrafted free agent signing in 2024, and has been a fixture on the practice squad since, with occasional opportunities to play in real games (one in 2024, three in 2025).
Maximus Pulley (great name) is an undrafted rookie free agent out of Wofford.
He had 85 tackles and 5 INTs (including two pick-sixes) in 2025.
He posted some All-22 of his highlights on YouTube: I rather enjoyed watching that.
Pulley reads quarterbacks' eyes and makes big plays on the football against the pass, and he loves triggering downhill hunting tackles for loss in the run game.
Fun player.
Obviously, that's against lower-level competition, and he could get in trouble being manipulated by smart quarterbacks in the pros, but he has a ballhawk mentality, which is a good thing.
If he gets enough reps, he's a guy who could maybe make a standout play or two throughout camp.
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