Tag: Sydney Brown

Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles hold a 17-13 lead over Steelers

Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles hold a 17-13 lead over Steelers

Philadelphia established its passing game and was dominant on defense, but the scoreboard tells a different story as the Eagles hold just a 17-13 lead over Pittsburgh after one half.

Vic Fangio’s defense held the Steelers to just 80 yards of offense on 30 plays in the first half, but two costly Eagles turnovers and two Chris Boswell field goals have Mike Tomlin’s team within four.

With the second half set to begin, we’re looking at sights and sounds from the first half.

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NFL Week 15 injury report: Eagles duo at safety position returns to practice

Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown returned to Eagles practice on Wednesday along with Britain Covey and C.J. Gardner-Johnson

The Eagles returned to the practice field before Sunday’s showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the entire safety group was present and fully participating.

Reed Blankenship (concussion), C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Sidney Brown (knee), and Britain Covey (neck) were all at practice and looking rejuvenated.

For the Steelers, wide receiver George Pickens has a hamstring injury that prevented him from practicing on Wednesday and forced him to miss Sunday’s win over the Bengals.

Larry Ogunjobi and DeShon Elliott were among the nine Steelers who didn’t practice on Wednesday.

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Sydney Brown and Kelee Ringo are finding other ways to be impactful in Eagles wins

Sydney Brown and Kelee Ringo are finding other ways to be impactful in Eagles wins and making a name for themselves on special teams

Sydney Brown (3rd round, No. 66 overall) and Kelee Ringo (4th round, No. 105 overall) were key picks in the 2023 NFL draft, and while neither player is a key starter like Jalen Carter or Nolan Smith, both defensive backs have made a name for themselves on special teams.

Before his Week 13 injury, Brown and Ringo had critical roles as gunners on the punt team, and they shined along with Braden Mann in the 24-19 win over the Ravens.

During his weekly press conference, Michael Clay talked about Brown and Ringo’s key roles on special teams.

One, it starts with the protection. We can’t cover anything unless the ball has been punted, obviously. Having those guys – their mindset has changed, especially Kelee from last year, watching Sydney and [former Eagles and current Seahawks CB] Josh Jobe to now taking the reins.

Sydney wasn’t able to be out there the first few games of the season. Going out there and still playing at a high level. You just see the confidence kind of ooze out of [Kelee] and Sydney to go out there and say, ‘All right, it’s one on one, let’s make a play there.’ Whether it’s a fair catch or making a play, getting the ball out.

The confidence out of those two guys has been outstanding. A lot of behind the scenes goes to [Special Teams Assistant] Tyler Brown, giving them all the tools he possibly can to get these guys to succeed.

Then the veteran guys, some guys that you don’t see, whether that’s [CB] Parry Nickerson, [DB] Avonte Maddox, that have played in the league for a while pushing these young cats to be the best they possibly can. I think it’s shown a lot, and those two have been doing a really good job in tandem.

According to PFF, Ringo has played 249 special team snaps (12 games) and earned an 85.3 grade with five games remaining. As a specialist, Ringo has six tackles.

Brown has been back in the lineup for seven games since returning from a torn ACL, and he’s earned a 72.2 grade from PFF in 148 snaps.

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Eagles open Ainias Smith’s 21-day practice window

The Philadelphia Eagles opened the 21-day practice window for rookie wide receiver Ainias Smith after he missed four games with an ankle injury

The Eagles just announced that rookie wide receiver Ainias Smith will return to practice after the team opened his 21-day practice window.

Smith was placed on injured reserve after consulting with team physicians.

A player clearly on the roster bubble before his injury, Smith missed about five and a half weeks, protecting the former Texas A&M star from potentially being waived and claimed by another team.

Smith caught six of nine targets for 36 yards in the Eagles’ 26-3 preseason loss to the Vikings. He also returned one punt for 14 yards.

The 2024 fifth-round pick should push for slot reps on offense and the punt returner role on special teams for the Eagles in the future, but his present-day scenario will involve learning the NFL game.

Eagles open Sydney Brown’s 21-day practice window

The Philadelphia Eagles are opening the 21 day practice window for Sydney Brown after he missed the first four games with a torn ACL

The Eagles are getting healthy at the right time, and with 13 straight games to play, a talented second-year safety is set to join the lineup.

Philadelphia announced that Sydney Brown would have his 21-day practice window opened after he missed the four games of the season with a torn ACL.

Brown finished his rookie season with five starts in 13 games played, registering 45 tackles, one tackle for loss, three passes defended, and a 99-yard interception return against the Cardinals.

He’ll now compete for a key role in Vic Fangio’s revamped defense.

Report: Eagles DB Sydney Brown will begin training camp on the PUP list

Philadelphia Eagles second year defensive back Sydney Brown will begin 2024 training camp on the physically unable to perform list

The Eagles are just two days from reporting for training camp, and we have some insight into where Sydney Brown is physically after last season’s torn ACL.

Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice reports that Brown will start the season on the physically unable to perform list (PUP List) to start training camp.

If Brown isn’t removed from the list before the start of the regular season opener against the Packers in Brazil, the second-year pro would be forced to miss at least the first four games of the season.

Brown finished his rookie season with five starts in 13 games, registering 45 tackles, one tackle for loss, three passes defended, and a 99-yard interception return against the Cardinals.

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Eagles add an All-American safety in ESPN’s early 2025 mock draft

Matt Miller released an early 2025 NFL mock draft for ESPN and the Philadelphia Eagles landed Georgia safety Malaki Starks in Round 1

The Eagles have a loaded squad with Super Bowl aspirations, but it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2025 NFL draft.

Philadelphia reloaded in the secondary this past April, selecting Quinyon Mitchell (CB) and Cooper DeJean (CB) with their first two picks. ESPN’s Matt Miller just revealed his first mock draft for 2025, and he has the Eagles landing a game-changing defender out of Georgia.

28. Philadelphia Eagles
Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Make your jokes about Philadelphia drafting a defender from Georgia, but Starks would fill a big hole for the 2025 Eagles. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 2023 after grabbing three interceptions and making 52 tackles. And Starks is a do-it-all safety who has experience playing press coverage in the slot. You’re going to hear comparisons to Kyle Hamilton, and they’re warranted given his three-down impact.

If Starks is the next Kyle Hamilton, Philadelphia will have decisions to make and elite depth at the position, with Reed Blankenship, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Sydney Brown already under contract.

Vic Fangio’s versatile defense could allow the Eagles to play three safeties, similar to the Ravens, allowing them to have their five or six best defensive backs on the field at one time.

Eagles retooled secondary named the biggest reason for optimism in 2024

The Philadelphia Eagles retooled secondary was named the biggest reason for optimism in 2024 by Pro Football Focus

The Eagles collapsed last season, losing six of their final seven games, including a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round. Changes were made as both coordinators departed, with Kellen Moore (Chargers) and Vic Fangio (Dolphins) inserted as more seasoned and experienced upgrades to Nick Sirianni’s staff.

Fletcher Cox and Haason Reddick departed on defense, while serious upgrades were made in the secondary. Howie Roseman spent draft capital on Quinyon Mitchell (round 1) and Cooper DeJean (Round 2). C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned to the team in free agency, while Isaiah Rodgers joined the franchise officially after serving a one-year suspension for gambling. Tyler Hall signed a one-year deal, while Avone Maddox was re-signed in free agency.

Pro Football Focus recently examined the reasons for optimism for all 32 NFL teams and found that Philadelphia’s retooled secondary is the biggest reason for happiness.

They threw resources at the secondary

The Eagles have elite talent at quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line. The one glaring weakness was a 28th-ranked coverage unit. They reunited with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and two extremely talented cornerbacks in the draft in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. DeJean, in particular, should be an asset in the slot after Philadelphia ranked dead last in the NFL in slot coverage grade last year.

Philadelphia has an extremely strong roster, and their offseason work to fix the secondary should keep them in Super Bowl contention.

The Eagles focused on rebuilding the secondary, and Philadelphia selected multiple defensive backs within the first two rounds for the first time since 2002. That year the Eagles took three DBs, cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown and safety Michael Lewis, despite already having big named stars on the roster players like Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins at key spots in the secondary.

With Slay, 33, and Bradberry, 30, entering the final stages of their careers, Philadelphia will develop a core that includes Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers, and Eli Ricks, just to name a few.

At the safety position, the Eagles have Reed Blankenship Gardner-Johnson and a talented, injured Sydney Brown.

Eagles’ report cards: Grading Philadelphia’s rookie class entering the 2024 offseason

We’re handing out grades and reviewing our rookie report card for the Philadelphia Eagles seven player 2023 NFL draft class

The Eagles entered training camp last summer with 17 rookies they believed could provide a bridge to the future and instant impact at crucial positions.

The 2023 class included seven talented players after the 2023 NFL draft, in which the team received glowing grades from experts and analysts.

Philadelphia landed five total defenders and four real players in the trenches, landing Tyler Steen from Alabama in the third round.

The Eagles also added plenty of undrafted talent.

Howie Roseman has raved about previous UDFA classes, with several big-named stars holding second-day draft grades.

Philadelphia had nine undrafted rookies that offered the potential to become critical contributors for years.

Mekhi Garner, Ben VanSumeren, and Eli Ricks saw key snaps as rookies, while Kelee Ringo will likely enter 2024 as a starter after some early learning curves.

With the young guys fully entrenched and the team looking towards April’s NFL draft, we’re handing out grades for 2023.

Darius Slay has high praise for Eagles trio of rookie defensive backs

During his exit meeting with the media, Darius Slay had high praise for Eagles rookies Sydney Brown, Eli Ricks, and Kelee Ringo

The Eagles are set to undergo massive changes, and the two high-paid outside cornerbacks could be a part of the youth movement.

Darius Slay missed five games during the 2023 season and was forced to exit the wild-card loss to Tampa with a back injury.

During his end-of-the-year meeting with the media, Slay talked about Philadelphia’s future in the secondary, praising rookies Sydney Brown, Kelee Ringo, and Eli Ricks.

That trio of rookie defensive backs got 43 snaps in the first six weeks of the season but played huge roles down the stretch, giving a glimpse into the future.

Bradley Roby, James Bradberry, Slay, and Kevin Byard are all in their 30s and have had long successful careers, but could all be a part of a dramatic retool at critical positions.