PHILADELPHIA — In the second quarter of the Eagles’ 22-13 preseason loss to the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, Eagles rookie safety Drew Mukuba followed Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the sideline and ditched his assignment to jump Dillon Gabriel’s pass to tight end Blake Whitehart, pulling down an interception and returning it for a 75-yard touchdown.
Two drives after his pick-6, Mukuba dove to the ground to recover Gabriel’s fumble on a bad hand off.
Mukuba’s preseason debut went well, and it could give him momentum to beat out Sydney Brown for the starting job. He showed Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio that he could be Philadelphia’s playmaker on the backend.
Philadelphia’s offseason decision to trade safety C.J Gardner-Johnson was a risky move. He’s one of the best defensive playmakers in the NFL, amassing six interceptions in his two seasons (2022 and 2024) with the Eagles.
Fangio needs somebody to replace Gardner-Johnson’s production, and he might view Mukuba as his best option. The rookie amassed five interceptions last season for Texas, proving he has good instincts.
However, Mukuba has to be more consistent in coverage over the next week to earn Fangio’s full trust. He gave up an 18-yard catch to Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman and has allowed big catches in practice.
Brown has to make more plays to maintain a lead over Mukuba. The Eagles drafted Mukuba in the second round to become their starter, and he might have the edge now.
The cornerback competition is even more intriguing.
On the boundary, Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo started. Newly acquired CB Jakorian Bennett rotated in.
A winner won’t be named after today, but Bennett could become the favorite soon. He broke up Gabriel’s pass that was intended for Browns undrafted free agent George Larvadain. The rookie WR ran a crosser and gained leverage, but Bennett did a good job of extending his hand to knock it away.
Bennett also gave up a short catch to Johnson, but he immediately tackled him. Johnson’s catch was called back for a penalty.
The Eagles traded for Bennett after the first week of training camp, and it hasn’t taken him long to enter the competition. Ringo and Jackson didn’t play well at practice — making cornerback a need. They also struggled in last week’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Both CBs looked better against the Browns, but they had some bad moments as well. During the first quarter, Jackson gave up a nine-yard catch to WR Kaden Davis and missed the tackle.
Browns wide receiver Jamari Thrash later beat Ringo for 19 yards on a crosser. Ringo then held Thrash to two yards on a WR screen.
After getting banged up at the end of the second quarter, Bennett returned in the third quarter. He made a tackle on the second drive.
Ringo and Bennett played during the second half, and Jackson didn’t. The Eagles should feel worried about their CB2 situation. It could possibly be the weakness of their defense this season.
Philadelphia’s linebackers and defensive linemen also flashed.
On the opening drive, Eagles rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell ran through the A-gap to sack Gabriel.
In the first half, Eagles edge rusher Azeez Ojulari beat Browns offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas on third-and-3 and sacked Gabriel. Ojulari had his best practices of training camp this week, improving his chances of making the 53-man roster.
Philadelphia’s defense is expected to be a good unit again, but more problems exist.
Fangio has to find solid solutions at CB2 and free safety. Even if those issues don’t get resolved, the defense is good enough elsewhere to be strong.
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