Some of the best storylines of each NFL season are born during training camp, and the Philadelphia Eagles had multiple underdog stories in the summer of 2024.
Among them was undrafted safety Tristin McCollum, who flashed with his play in the preseason and ultimately secured a spot on Philly’s initial 53-man roster. Sydney Brown starting the year on injuried reserve probably helped his cause, but McCollum ended up starting two games and stuck on the Eagles’ active roster throughout their run to Super Bowl LIX.
McCollum is an easy player to root for and was an instant fan favorite last summer. Philly’s decision to cut ties with starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason could, in theory, open the door for more opportunities in 2025.
There will be plenty of competition just to make the roster, though. The Eagles have three locks at safety in Reed Blankenship, Brown and second-round rookie Drew Mukuba. The team also added Lewis Cine, a former first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, during last year’s stretch run, and he’ll be on the field in camp this summer.
Josh Davis of The Philly Special Show projects McCollum to be phased out due to the numbers game on defense. He predicts the Eagles will keep six cornerbacks — with Eli Ricks barley making the cut — and three safeties, leaving both McCollum and Cine as potential IR stashes or practice squad candidates.
Philly initially kept five safeties on roster cut-down day last year, but one of them was James Bradberry, who ended up on season-ending IR that same week. Another was Avonte Maddox, who was technically working at safety but ended up opening the year at nickel corner as Cooper DeJean worked to get caught up from a preseason hamstring issue. The team also had Brown on IR with a designation to return, so in essence, the team did carry three true safeties to start 2024 in Gardner-Johnson, Blankenship and McCollum.
McCollum will be one of Philly’s more intriguing bubble players this summer along with guys like Ainias Smith and Terrace Marshall Jr. If he can ball out in similar fashion to last year’s training camp, McCollum could force the team into some tough decisions in terms of carrying six corners vs. four safeties.
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