The Philadelphia Eagles seemed like they had a star in safety Andrew Mukuba midway through his rookie season, until a fractured ankle ended his year in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles struggled to find answers at safety the rest of the year, and Mukuba’s recovery from his injury cast a shadow over the position throughout the offseason.
Headed into Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, Mukuba might already be dealing with more injury issues after just 1 game.
“Eagles S Andrew Mukuba sidelined today with a knee injury,” ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote on X on Thursday. “He just walked through the locker room with a sleeve on his left leg.”
“Andrew Mukuba did not practice today due to a knee injury,” Eagles reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks wrote on his official X account.
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Eagles Showed Confidence in Mukuba in Offseason
The Eagles had enough confidence in Mukuba, a 2025 2nd-round pick, that they not only let longtime starter Reed Blankenship leave in free agency but traded safety Sydney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon thinks Mukuba is the most important 2nd-year player on the Eagles’ roster — even trumping inside linebacker and 2025 1st-round pick Jihaad Campbell.
“The second-round pick is coming back from ankle surgery after that injury cost him a large portion of his rookie season,” Gagnon wrote on June 17. “There were positive signs during that campaign, but we’re still talking about a starter on a contender who posted the second-lowest PFF grade among qualified rookie safeties in 2025. The Eagles are hoping he can offer them some much-needed stability at safety.”
Lofty Projections Headed Into Rookie Season
ESPN’s Mike Clay predicted Mukuba, 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, would finish in the Top 5 among NFL rookies in both tackles and interceptions in his preseason projections — he had a chance to do both before his injury.
“In Philadelphia, second-rounder Mukuba has a real shot to replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was traded to the Texans,” Clay wrote on May 21.
Before his injury, Mukuba filled up the stat sheet for Philly. In 11 games — with 10 starts — he had 46 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 pass deflections, and 2 TFL.
Philadelphia Eagles Starter Misses Practice With Surprise Injury