PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni remained tight-lipped through the practice week about who would be in the starting lineup at cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell and safety opposite Reed Blankenship in Thursday night’s opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
The definitive answers, however, finally were revealed during warmups as veteran Adoree’ Jackson lined up as a starter at outside cornerback and rookie Andrew Mukuba warmed up with the first-team defense at safety.
Jackson, a nine-year veteran who spent the last four seasons with the Giants, had competed in training camp with Kelee Ringo and mid-August trade addition Jakorian Bennett, while Mukuba, a second-round pick in 2023, competed with Sydney Brown, a third-round pick in 2023. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio indicated Monday that backup players at cornerback and safety could still game action early in the season.
The other minor question mark ahead of Thursday was who would start opposite Zack Baun at inside linebacker. As expected, the assignment went to rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell over Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Early Thursday afternoon, the Eagles also elevated edge rusher Patrick Johnson and veteran safety Marcus Epps from the practice squad, two players who returned to the team this season.
Johnson, known for his exceptional work on special teams, will be playing his first game for the Eagles since opening night of last season in Brazil against Green Bay.
Two weeks later, he was claimed by the Giants off the Eagles’ practice squad and spent the rest of the season in East Rutherford. He played 12 games for the Giants with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams and then re-signed with the Eagles in March.
Epps, meanwhile, is playing his first game for the Eagles since the 2023 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arizona. He started all 20 games the Eagles played that year and then signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason.
After two seasons with the Raiders, Epps became a free agent and went to training camp this year with the Patriots. After he was cut by the Patriots late last month, the Eagles signed him to the practice squad.
During his four seasons with the Eagles from 2019 through 2022, Epps was a mainstay on special teams and he will likely have a big role in the regard in the opener against the Cowboys.
The Eagles had a couple of surprises among their seven inactives with veteran edge rushers Azeez Ojulari and Ogbo Okoronkwo both being healthy scratches. One of the two figured to be down after the elevation of Johnson, but it was surprising to see them both sitting.
The other inactives were quarterback Tanner McKee (thumb injury), offensive linemen Drew Kendall, Cameron Williams and Kenyon Green and defensive tackle Ty Robinson.
Offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, who signed with Dallas after being cut by the Eagles, was among the Cowboys’ inactives. The rest of the Dallas group: defensive tackle Mazi Smith, running back Jaydon Blue, linebacker Shemar James, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey and offensive tackles Hakeem Adeniji and Ajani Cornelius.
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Bob Brookover can be reached atrbrookover@njadvancemedia.com
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