Eagles 25-Year-Old Named Top 'Breakout Candidate'

The Philadelphia Eagles safety room took a hit this offseason as the team opted to trade CJ Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans.

Since then, there has been a lot of chatter about who could come in and help fill the hole. The Eagles drafted Andrew Mukuba in the second round of the 2025 National Football League Draft as one option. There's been a lot of talk about the idea of adding free agent Justin Simmons as well. One guy who also is still with the franchise and could have a big impact is 25-year-old safety Sydney Brown. He only appeared in 11 games last year, but has a lot of potential.

Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macri even pegged him as the Eagles' top "breakout candidate."

"Philadelphia Eagles: S Sydney Brown," Macri said. "Brown will have some competition for a starting role after the team drafted Andrew Mukuba in the third round of this year’s draft, but Brown – a 2023 third-round pick – has seniority and experience in the NFL and in Vic Fangio’s defense, which should give him the upper hand. Brown took on a starting role as a rookie before suffering an injury, which led to just one start in 2024, coming in Week 18 when he posted a 92.0 overall grade and 90.4 coverage grade."

Brown was taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and played in 14 games as a rookie. He had one interception and had three passes defended. Last year he appeared in 11 games and spent the majority of his time on the special teams.