Getty The Eagles released veteran safety Will Parks after just six games with his hometown team.
Will Parks may go down as one of the most beloved Philadelphia Eagles players despite never really getting his footing on the field. And not necessarily by his own fault or design. He missed the first five weeks with a nagging hamstring issue but never received a legitimate shot to play once he returned. What happened?
Parks was released by the Eagles on Tuesday after seeing just 114 defensive snaps and 63 on special teams. His career in midnight green ended with 13 total tackles. It’s not the ending anyone wanted, especially not the good-natured kid from North Philly. Parks has been very open and honest about the departure on social media, taking the time to thank all the Eagles fans who supported him. However, one of his tweets went viral for seeming to take a subtle shot at his old team.
It’s 2020. Not 2017.
The 26-year-old safety seemed to echo what Orlando Scandrick revealed about the Eagles’ organization by indicating they were still stuck in the rapture of the Super Bowl year. Maybe everyone is reading too much into an innocent comment, something Parks himself alluded to in the reply section: “It’s a tweet bro. That’s it. A tweet. Happy holidays my boy!”
Parks didn’t come out and say anything negative about the Eagles, although he seemed super excited to be back with the Denver Broncos. Either way, it’s telling that two different players who weren’t part of that 2017 championship run seem to think the Eagles are still “living on that Super Bowl high.”
talked to Von… I’m motivated! talked to Vic… I’m ready to play! I’m ready to help! I’m ready to help in anyway I can! 🤬🤬
Draw your own conclusion about Parks’ true intentions. One thing is true: Parks was a consummate professional during his Philly tenure — and he’s probably better off in the Mile High City. Good luck.
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Injured Hamstring, Limited Role for Eagles
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz hasn’t employed a ton of three-safety sets this year, hence one big reason why Parks was released. His role as the nickel safety was limited because the Eagles’ defense hasn’t faced many second-and-long or third-and-long situations. Instead, they have brought in an extra linebacker, like Duke Riley, to stop the run there.
“The plan was for him to play a little bit more than what he did in this game,” Schwartz said of Parks on Nov. 18. “But with the no-huddle stuff and with the amount of 12-personnel that they were running and particularly, again, a lot of it came from not having a lot of second and long or third-down situations and Will was in a lot of those packages for second and long and third-down situations.”
Jim Schwartz thanks Will Parks for doing a “good job.” The hamstring issue stunted him from getting going.
More opportunities for K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps, maybe Grayland Arnold. Schwartz said Jalen Mills had one of his best games of year vs. Seattle. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
He was referring to the Giants game in Week 10 when Parks saw just six total defensive snaps. On Wednesday, Schwartz attempted to explain why the team decided to part ways with Parks, seeming to blame it on that nagging hamstring injury from training camp.
“We appreciate what Will did for us,” Schwartz said. “It was a bad start for him getting that bad hamstring at the beginning of camp, and then once he got healthy, he played a limited role for us, but did a good job in that, played tough, but we have moved on.”
K’Von Wallace, Marcus Epps Rise Up Depth Chart
The Eagles now have five healthy safeties on the active roster in starters Jalen Mills and Rodney McLeod. Rookies K’Von Wallace and Grayland Arnold, plus veteran Marcus Epps, are sitting behind them on the depth chart as Rudy Ford (hamstring) remains on the mend. Undrafted rookie safety Elijah Riley is another guy to keep an eye on.
Considering the team doesn’t call on their third safety to do much, it shouldn’t be a huge burden to fill Parks’ shoes. And the two leading candidates to pick up the slack are Epps and Wallace. Both players rotated in as fill-in starters earlier this year when Mills was moved over to cornerback.
“We’re excited about all the young players, even guys like Grayland Arnold, Elijah Riley stepped up and played good snaps for us when he was active,” Schwartz said. “I think we’re in a good spot with a lot of our young safeties and seeing some good vet play also.”
McLeod, who took over defensive captain duties from Malcolm Jenkins, also chimed in on the backup safety spot. He called Wallace a “physical player” who knows how to win coming from a top-notch college program like Clemson. Meanwhile, Epps is a “hard worker” that the team depended on last year when he first came over from the Minnesota Vikings. He knows the scheme inside and out.
“So I’m excited for the opportunity that both of them will be able to get defensively,” McLeod said, “and as they continue to build their roles on special teams and more.”
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