The Eagles and Falcons have agreed on a trade that will send safety Sydney Brown from Philadelphia to Atlanta, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. The teams will also swap fourth- and sixth-round picks. The Eagles will receive the 114th and 197th choices, while the Falcons will get the 122nd and 215th selections.
The Eagles spent a third-rounder on Brown in 2023, but the Illinois product did not pan out as hoped during his three years in their uniform. Brown totaled a personal-best six starts in 14 games as a rookie, but a Week 18 ACL tear threw his career off course. He returned to play 11 games in 2024, though with Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson entrenched at safety, Brown did not make any starts during a Super Bowl-winning campaign.
Although Gardner-Johnson was gone last year, second-round rookie Andrew Mukuba ended up as the primary starter opposite Blankenship. Brown did, however, play his first 17-game season and make three starts in place of an injured Mukuba. He will end his Eagles tenure with 86 tackles and two interceptions in 42 games.
While the 25-year-old Brown did not carve out a major defensive role as an Eagle, they are now dangerously thin at safety in the wake of his exit. Blankenship joined the Texans in free agency, leaving Mukuba, Andre’ Sam and Brandon Johnson as the only safeties on the Eagles’ roster. They are also losing a core special teamer in Brown, who posted ST snap shares ranging from 59% to to 76% in each season in Philadelphia.
The Falcons will return their impressive Jessie Bates–Xavier Watts safety duo in 2026, but Brown will provide cheap depth behind them. He is due to count just $1.58MM against the cap in the last year of his rookie contract. Brown also carries some experience at slot corner, where the Falcons lost Dee Alford to the Bills in free agency. Billy Bowman could factor in heavily there as a second-year player next season, but that will depend on how well he bounces back from the Achilles tear he suffered last November.
I really don’t get this.
I guess Fangio isn’t that high on Sydney Brown?
This leaves the Eagles really thin at safety though.
He has been trash. Do you watch games.
I watch every game.
Go ahead and tell me Epps isn’t trash or that they have a single starting safety on the team other than maybe Makuba.
All I said was Brown was trash. He isnt starting quality. Are you that upset trading him. Is the draft over? Is free agency over? Relax dude. Trust Howie.
If you think trading Brown and signing Epps is intelligent then I really don’t know what to tell you.
Brown is at least young enough to actually be something and is a hard hitter. Epps is one of the worst Eagles safeties I’ve ever seen in coverage.
Howie has given me no reason to trust him after last year. Enough with the hyperbole just because somebody rightly questions a move or two he makes.
@Eagles254: He either doesn’t watch games or he’s trolling. He argued with me a little while back and said that AJ Brown has never dropped a pass. Ignore and move on.
God shut tf up already.
You people are so insufferable.
I never said that. Sit down and shut up.
@notimportant go to the comment section of the article “Eagles Seeking First- And Second-Round Picks For A.J. Brown?”
link to profootballrumors.com
Epps has Started and played well in Playoff games. Sydney Brown plays in garbage time and gets roasted every time he sees the field.
And at this point my money is pn Michael Carter starting at safety over Epps. He’s played there as well. There was likely a plan when they agreed to a much reduced salary. That plan would not be slot with Dejean there. Epps will be backup safety. I aldo expect them to have safety on the lust in the draft.
I thought for a long time that both Brown brothers would be great additions for the Bears because they play 2 positions of need and would be great fits. Especially with the Bears situation at Safety right now. Chase is a solid RB and Sydney is hard hitting safety. Bears could use both of them. Good deal for the Falcons. Cunningham will be good for them. Give him time. Better than the last fool they hired from the Bears who just threw money and draft picks away for no reason.
Not bad I guess he kind of disappeared under that stacked eagles depth chart.
Dude, he’s horrific. Not only is he not a smart player, but he has a knack for making the stupidest decisions possible at the worst times.
He’s a good Special Teams player, mostly because he has no regard for his body, but he’s a big gain waiting to happen on his defensive snaps.
Special teams at best. Howie knows what he is doing. Brown had great heart but didn’t translate on the field.
Lol does he? Because they were terrible at safety last year and outside corner other than Mitchell.
He seemed to give up plays when he was in, pure special team guy. Eagles look to be going safety and oline with the picks they have.
Who even is there at safety after Downs that anybody should want to draft?
Dillon Thienemann? It’s not like Downs is the only draftable safety in this class, there’s also people like Bud Clark
Brown might be the dumbest player in the league. I’m shocked they got anything.
I am more excited about him as a Special Teams player. In Special Teams Efficiency %: The Falcons were 32 out of 32 teams. He might also get some reps at The Nickel with Dee Alford gone and Billy Bowman recovering from injury, but with Sydney Brown and the addition of Channing Tindall as well as Nick Folk and Jake Bailey. I think some of these moves have more than meets the eye especially when you are that abysmally bad at Special Teams.
You make a good point, I also think this is a move to improve ST coverage units.
New GM Cunningham was instrumental in acquiring key contributors to Bears special teams units, which improved immensely his first year as Assistant GM, particularly emphasizing coverage tacklers (Hicks, Blackwell & Sanborn…all still there and ST studs). Expect a good crop of late round & UDFA rookies to specifically upgrade Falcons ST this year.
When Sydney Brown and Kelee Ringo are on the field together, the Eagles may as well play with 9 defenders and hope the refs don’t count the players on the field.
I feel really bad calling him stupid, I’m sure he’s a nice man and intelligent. He’s just not good at safety.