Eagles fear an ACL tear for rookie safety Sydney Brown

Further testing will be needed to confirm the initial diagnosis, Garafolo notes. If Brown is indeed set to miss the remainder of the campaign, though, his absence will deal a blow to Philadelphia’s secondary.

The 23-year-old has been a significant contributor in recent weeks in particular while the team has dealt with other injuries on the backend.

Just like his twin brother, Brown was drafted this April to mark the beginning of his pro career after an impressive showing in the college ranks. The Canadian was one of several members of Illinois’ talented secondary, and his production there put him on the radar of the Eagles as part of their re-tooling efforts following a notable offseason exodus amongst defenders. 

Brown had logged five starts in his rookie season, highlighted by a 99-yard pick-six in Week 17.

While seeing considerable usage on special teams but also a rotational role on defense, the third-rounder totaled 45 tackles and three pass deflections heading into Sunday’s game. 

Philadelphia’s loss to the Giants locked the reigning NFC champions into the No. 5 seed, and the result marked a fifth defeat in the final six weeks of the season. The Eagles’ defense has been a sore spot in that stretch, and being without Brown will not be a welcomed sign heading into the wild-card round.

The Eagles will open the postseason in Tampa Bay. Given their struggles on defense in general — and against the pass as a whole — the loss of depth at the safety spot will lead to the team’s starters being leaned on even more heavily. 

Reed Blankenship and trade acquisition Kevin Byard will continue to log a heavy workload. They (along with a cornerback contingent which is expected to include a healthy Darius Slay) will look for a rebound performance relative to recent showings in the playoffs next week. Brown, meanwhile, will turn his attention to offseason recovery.