Eagles rookie Drew Mukuba ‘heading the right way’ in the competition to start at safety
A shoulder injury kept Mukuba out of action for two weeks, but he earned some first-team reps Tuesday at practice. He expects to make his preseason debut Saturday against the Browns.
While watching Thursday’s preseason opener from the sideline, rookie safety Drew Mukuba experienced the same sense of dissonance he’d become acquainted with during the last two weeks of Eagles training camp.
Mukuba, hindered by a shoulder injury, itched to play. He longed to compete. And he had plenty to compete for, given his ongoing battle with Sydney Brown for the starting safety job alongside Reed Blankenship.
But Mukuba’s body wasn’t ready for game action just yet, as he missed three straight practices during the second week of camp and had participated in a limited capacity since his Aug. 1 return. Thursday’s game was as much of an opportunity for Mukuba to take mental reps as it was a test of his restraint.
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“I know my time is going to come, so I’ve just got to be patient, and sooner or later, I’ll be out there,” Mukuba said of his mindset from the sideline.
That time is near. Mukuba, who is 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, returned to practice in a full capacity on Saturday, exactly one week before the Eagles’ second exhibition game against the Cleveland Browns. After Mukuba’s residency on the sideline, where he studied his fellow safeties, it could be his turn to take the gridiron in his preseason debut this weekend.
He wouldn’t go into the game cold. Mukuba made meaningful progress Tuesday, earning the initial first-team reps at safety next to Blankenship for the first time since the second day of training camp. Brown subbed in for Mukuba on the third play of the first series, and the trio rotated throughout the rest of the morning.
Mukuba wasn’t all that noticeable on the field, mostly because Jalen Hurts wasn’t throwing the ball deep on a light practice day. Still, the rookie safety didn’t appear lost or confused before each snap. Despite Mukuba’s limited reps since returning from injury, the second-rounder out of Texas said he feels “very comfortable” on the field.
“I feel like I’m confident out there making the right calls, knowing what to do, knowing where I’m supposed to be at, knowing where other guys are supposed to be at,” Mukuba said. “Just me knowing that, me feeling that confident, just tells me that I’m doing the right things and I’m heading the right way.”
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He has had a lot to learn, too. Not only is Mukuba getting acclimated to the safety position at the NFL level, he is also taking up the inside defender role in the dime package (with six defensive backs on the field).
That responsibility isn’t too foreign. Mukuba spent the first three years of his college career at Clemson, where he played nickel cornerback.
“It gives us an option to do a lot of things with an extra DB in there, whether that’s blitzing, whether that’s [in] coverage, just mix a lot of things up, I feel like, with that role,” Mukuba said. “I’ve embraced that role. I’m obviously trying to learn and trying to grow from that role, because I didn’t really play much of dime in college.”
Brown, who sits next to Mukuba in meetings, has watched the rookie handle all of the rigors of assimilating into Vic Fangio’s defense with grace. The third-year safety can empathize with him, too. Coming off an ACL injury last season, Brown knows just how difficult it is to miss time because of an injury. Mukuba hasn’t gotten lost, according to Brown.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Brown said he is eager to see what Mukuba can do on the field. The rookie hasn’t badgered Brown with too many questions about what to expect out of the game.
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“I think Drew’s a very relaxed guy,” Brown said. “I don’t think he gets too fazed by all of that. I think he’s just going to go out there and do his thing. Live his routine and do what he does. That’s why he was drafted here, right?”
That’s why Brown was drafted by the Eagles, too, as a 2023 third-rounder out of Illinois. He remains in the mix for the safety gig, starting in the preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Fangio hasn’t called that race yet, though, and Mukuba’s return could make that competition interesting this week with the Browns in town for two joint practices and Saturday’s game.
“At the end of the day, I think best man wins,” Brown said. “I wouldn’t be a great teammate, I wouldn’t be a great fit for this team if I didn’t give it my all to compete for this job and be the best version of myself every single day. That’s what we’re here for. I think everybody in the room is competing for an opportunity to play.”
Mukuba is eyeing that opportunity, too. Still, finally healthy and ready for his first taste of preseason action, he says he isn’t looking to prove anything to anyone but himself.
“I’m really looking to prove myself right, to be honest with you,” Mukuba said. “To show that I belong here. Show that I can play at this level with these guys that [are] playing at a high level. So just a way to prove myself and believe in myself.”