_From now until July 22, PhillyVoice will be previewing 2025 Eagles training camp by choosing a topic question for the staff to debate. This series will run from Monday, July 7, through Monday, July 21, as all players are expected to report to the NovaCare Complex by July 22. The first session is July 23._
Today's preview topic question is: Which position group on defense is the team's biggest concern headed into camp? Our writers made their selections and wrote about the groups they felt best fit the category.
Last year, Zack Baun literally epitomized the term "overnight success," morphing from a reserve edge rusher/special teamer with 14 career starts over four years in New Orleans into an All Pro and Defensive Player of the Year candidate for the Eagles while on a 1-year "prove it" deal. Not only did he "prove it," Baun – out of nowhere – played like some hybrid of Fred Warner and Ray Lewis. You just don't see an emergence like that very often from a Day 2 draft pick on his second team.
Baun signed a blockbuster extension in the offseason that has him and Warner shopping in the same aisles, which means Baun is now expected to play each game like he's a superstar. I'm not doubting Baun's ability to play at a high level in 2025 and beyond, but I certainly think it's fair to wonder if he can replicate last year's sudden breakout again and be the centerpiece of Vic Fangio's predominantly zone defense.
There's also plenty of question marks on the depth chart behind Baun. Will there be limitations to Nakobe Dean, who likely won't be ready until October, and his physical acumen after yet another lower-body surgery? Dean emerged as the off-ball LB leader last year, wearing the green dot and showcasing his tremendous physical talents, but how much more damage can his body withstand without taking a toll on his skill set?
The Eagles are also razor-thin here while Dean remains out, with rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and fifth-round rookie Smael Mondon Jr. all in the mix to start alongside Baun until Dean returns. The absence of a smart and steady veteran here – like Oren Burks from last season – is really glaring, and it would be a surprise if the team didn't add one going into camp.
Campbell is also coming off surgery and isn't expected to be ready for the start of camp, which means an early camp injury to Trotter or Mondon would force someone like Dallas Gant into next-man-up as starter. That's a little nerve-wracking for a defense that thrived last season because of its off-ball linebacker play.
### NICK TRICOME: Safety
Reed Blankenship is set, but the spot next to him overtop isn't, and doesn't have any particularly clear answer yet.
Second-round rookie Andrew Mukuba jumping in right away would be great, and he does have the traits to be a good safety in the NFL, but it does have to be kept in mind that the NFL is a totally different beast compared to college and usually isn't so quickly adapted to.
Yes, Quinyon Mitchell was ready to go at corner from Day 1, but then it took Nolan Smith until the back half of his second year at the edge for things to finally start clicking. It takes time, and Mukuba will need some.
[The other options](/philadelphia-eagles-2025-depth-chart-nfl/), though, leave something to be desired.
Sydney Brown plays hard and hits like a truck, but the energy he brings is pretty unrefined, and his work in pass coverage still needs a lot of development.
Then behind him, with Tristin McCollum, Lewis Cine, and Andre' Sam, there's little among those names, with all due respect, that screams "starter" out of that group.
The Eagles could always look outside for one more safety, noting that they usually are always good for one or two late camp additions.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson was exactly that for them the first time he arrived to Philadelphia through trade in 2022, and right now, [Justin Simmons](/eagles-news-justin-simmons-safety-nfl-free-agency-rumors-vic-fangio-christian-parker-broncos-falcons/) is still out there as a free agent and has expressed interest in joining the Eagles to reunite with Vic Fangio at various points throughout the spring. However, that was all through the odd framing of having gone on multiple podcasts to answer questions about his ideal fit and scenario, rather than any actual concrete interest from the Eagles.
The current safety situation can be left as open and subject to change for now, but as far as who might be leading to step up and actually take it, well, how much trust are you ready to put into Mukaba as a rookie?