Being a starter again for the Eagles would ‘mean everything’ to a ‘grateful’ Marcus Epps

Last year at this time — one year ago Wednesday, to be exact — Marcus Epps was staring a sort of career mortality in the face.

That’s life in the NFL for a 29-year-old safety who works his way back from ACL surgery and signs a one-year contract only to be cut at the end of training camp. The New England Patriots didn’t have a spot for him. They had a Super Bowl-contending roster, to be sure, but Epps was only two years removed from parlaying his starting safety job on an Eagles team that went to the Super Bowl into a two-year, $12 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Working his way back from the ACL tear that ended his 2024 season — his second year with the Raiders — in Week 3 presented Epps with “dark days” that challenged him physically and mentally. He relied on his loved ones and trained at the gym he owns in Costa Mesa, Calif., unsure what his future held.

The Eagles, who initially claimed Epps in November of 2019 after Minnesota waived Epps just months after selecting him in the sixth round, offered Epps a second chance for the second time. They signed him to their practice squad two days after the Patriots cut him, needing to add some reinforcements at a position that lacked quality depth. He later was called on to start down the stretch after rookie Andrew Mukuba suffered a season-ending injury.

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The Eagles brought Epps back on a one-year deal and put him in a competition with a converted nickel corner, Michael Carter II, for the safety spot next to Mukuba whenever the Eagles are in nickel or dime packages (All-Pro nickel Cooper DeJean will play safety in the base package). Epps hasn’t yet been named the winner of that competition, but all signs point to him getting the nod come Sept. 13 when the Eagles open their season at home vs. the Washington Commanders.

“It feels good to just be back healthy, have a clear mind, kind of be out of that dark place that I was in,” Epps said Monday. “I’m just grateful. I don’t take any day for granted, and I’m truly blessed to be here, right where I want to be. I’m just trying to keep my head down and grinding every day.”

Being a starter again would “mean everything” to Epps.

“I worked real hard to get back to where I’m at, man, and there were a lot of dark days,” he said. “But I still got work to do. I haven’t arrived by any means. It’s a long season, and we’re still here just in camp. That’s where my focus is, on camp, finishing out camp the right way and just continuing to get better.”

Safety remains the thinnest position on the roster as far as NFL talent and experience goes. Besides Mukuba, who has 11 games under his belt, Epps, and Carter, who hasn’t played the position, the rest of the team’s safeties have combined for three defensive snaps in the NFL, all from Andre Sam, who has been a mainstay on the practice squad the past few seasons.

It’s possible Howie Roseman makes a move to acquire a starting-caliber safety that bumps Epps down the depth chart between now and the start of the season. It’s possible, too, that the Eagles decide to only keep three safeties — Carter, Epps, and Mukuba — on the initial 53-man roster due Sunday night. With DeJean logging at least a chunk of snaps, they may decide they don’t need to roster more than three.

That stuff is out of Epps’ control. He has taken the vast majority of the first-team reps, though Carter has been sprinkled in at times throughout camp.

“I feel good both physically and mentally, just trying to stay grounded and keep my head down and keep on working,” Epps said. “I still got a lot of things I got to work on and clean up, so that’s where my focus is, to continue to get better.”

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With Reed Blankenship gone, pre-snap communication from the back line to the rest of the defense will be a shared responsibility between Mukuba and DeJean in base, and Mukuba and Epps, assuming he’s the starter, in the sub packages. That comes naturally, Epps said, and he’s watched the 23-year-old Mukuba make strides, too, both in his communicating and overall play at safety this summer.

At 30, Epps is among the oldest defensive players in the locker room. Only cornerback Jonathan Jones, 32, is older. It’s a different gig than when Epps was first with the Eagles seven years ago.

“It’s cool being the older guy, being able to be somebody that the younger guys can lean on, continue to pass down knowledge and pass down game to these guys,” Epps said. “It’s an important role in every locker room and I don’t take it for granted.”