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Eagles sign Kenny Moore II to active roster to assist beleaguered secondary

Moore, who started over 100 games as a member of the Colts, could be an answer to the Eagles' safeties woes.

Kenny Moore II has played most of his career as a nickel corner.
Kenny Moore II has played most of his career as a nickel corner.Read moreDarron Cummings / AP

A week after they signed free agent Kenny Moore II to their practice squad, the Eagles on Tuesday signed the veteran defensive back to their active roster, filling an open spot on the 53-man unit.

Moore, 31, played nine seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, where Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was an assistant from 2018 to 2020. Moore has 111 starts in 132 career appearances and made the Pro Bowl in 2021.

It’s unclear how the Eagles plan to use Moore in their defensive backfield. He has played just 58 of 7,525 career defensive snaps at safety and has primarily been a nickel corner.

Vic Fangio last week said the Eagles did not have any plans to move nickel Cooper DeJean to safety on a full-time basis. DeJean has been playing safety in the team’s base package, but the position group has had a few concerning performances to open the 2026 season. Marcus Epps has missed multiple tackles and appeared to be benched during Monday night’s 27-7 loss in Chicago when the Eagles started rotating him and Michael Carter II next to Andrew Mukuba.

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While Moore has not played a lot of safety, his acquisition likely means the Eagles think he’s capable of making the transition late in his career. Or at least trying to.

“Just being a football player,” Moore said last week when asked about his role. “I think in the back end, the more you can do the better. Being in year 10, I just want to pour everything that I’ve learned, resources, however way I can help, be a great teammate, and push those guys as best as possible.”

Asked last week about Moore’s role, Fangio said he wasn’t sure yet.

“I’ve never laid eyes on him, never watched him play,” he said. “So, we’ll see.”

Moore was released by the Colts in May after the Georgia native requested a trade and no deal came to fruition.

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