Before the Philadelphia Eagles’ Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears, there was a belief that Marcus Epps could be on thin ice, playing for his job.
Through the first two weeks of action, the Eagles’ safety duo of Epps and Andrew Mukuba was under a spotlight for the wrong reasons.
After seeing Case Keenum, a third-string quarterback, carve up the Eagles’ secondary, there are analysts calling for the safety’s job.
The Eagles don’t have a ton of depth at the position, but Michael Carter is waiting in the wings and ready to take full advantage of an opportunity that gets him on the field consistently.
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“Start Michael Carter,” Eagles On SI’s Ed Kracz suggested this week.
“His battle with Epps went deep into the summer before Epps did something to win the job. Maybe Epps’ experience gave him the final edge, and Carter was transitioning from cornerback. The season is nearly a month old now. Transition time is up. Throw Carter in there more. Perhaps we saw that happen in Chicago when Epps played just 27 snaps (38 percent) to Carter’s 20 (28 percent).”
The Eagles saw in real time that Epps needed limited action compared to what he’s seen through the first couple of games. Now, we’ll see what Vic Fangio decides after he gets to review the tape.
If Fangio and the Eagles continue to roll with Epps in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams, the decision would be seen as controversial. Therefore, if the Eagles decide to give the Carter idea a go, it would be the popular decision at this point.
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Beyond Carter, the Eagles also decided to call up Kenny Moore.
The veteran defensive back was added to the team just days before the Bears game, but he wasn’t elevated from the practice squad. That changed on Tuesday. Moore could be at practice this week, preparing for a game role on Sunday against the Rams.
While Moore is an option at safety, he is better suited at cornerback in the nickel. The assumption is that if Moore plays, he would replace Cooper DeJean, who would move back to safety. The Eagles have options to get creative, and they will likely do what they can to try to help out the situation as Epps struggles.