Need a safety? How about Sydney Brown?
Need a slot? You might want to consider Sydney Brown.
Need a d-back to come down to the box and support the run? Here's an idea ... Sydney Brown!
Brown, the Eagles’ 3rd-round rookie, is a one-man depth chart. Most rookies are just trying to learn one position. Brown is trying to master them all.
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“In understanding the entire scheme, in knowing everybody else’s position, that’s going to help you understand your own position,” Brown said. “So I just look at it as an opportunity to kind of learn the entire defense.”
Brown was drafted as a safety, but three games into his NFL career, the Eagles felt comfortable enough with him as a slot corner to start giving him high-leverage snaps against Tampa after a rash of injuries decimated the secondary.
Brown suffered an injury of his own in Tampa soon after he started getting regular reps, but he did practice Wednesday and Thursday on a limited basis, he said his hamstring is healing, and he should be back either Sunday in Los Angeles or next week against the Jets at the Meadowlands.
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In the big picture, the Eagles believe they have a 23-year-old defensive back who they can put virtually anywhere in the defensive backfield.
This secondary could sure use a steady, consistent, playmaking force, and Brown is up for the challenge.
“Versatility is something I took a big role in in college,” Brown said at his locker Thursday. “I was kind of all over the place, played a lot in the slot, played a lot in the box, played a lot in the high safety stuff. You know, to me it's I just want to do whatever I can to help the team. Whatever that is. If the opportunity is there to play in nickel, or wherever they need to place me. I want to be ready.”
Brown said he's learned a lot by watching the Eagles' veteran defensive backs, many of whom can play multiple roles. He nodded over to the locker to his left at James Bradberry, who’s been playing slot for the first time in his career.
But Bradberry is an eight-year veteran who’s played over 100 games and has his primary position mastered.
Brown is 2 ½ games into his NFL career.
“He's very sharp,” Nick Sirianni said. “A really sharp guy. And high football IQ. We knew that with him coming in and we know, you don't want to overload anybody. We don't want to overload a guy playing a certain position. We don't want to overload anybody. Because then you just give them too much to think about, that's not a good thing.
“There's a balance in there. It starts with Sydney, his football IQ is high and he's able to handle a lot. We need his versatility, and that's another reason why we have him here. He's done a nice job handling that.”
Brown has only played 16 snaps so far on defense – five at safety, 11 in the slot – but he showed his potential with an eye-opening play in the end zone before he got hurt in Tampa.
It was the middle of the second quarter and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans was wide open and about to catch a 15-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield that would have given the Bucs a 7-3 lead.
And then there was Brown seemingly coming out of nowhere, lunging and reaching out with his left hand, breaking up the pass and forcing the Bucs to kick a field goal. They wouldn’t score again until the Eagles were up by 22 points.
Welcome to the NFL.
“Sidney, he's a fearless competitor,” Bradberry said. “He also always gives great effort. You can see that with that play that he made.”
It’s one thing to make a big play and get the coaches’ attention at practice. It’s another thing entirely to come up huge on national TV in a close game between two undefeated teams while covering the only receiver in history to open his career with nine 1,000-yard seasons.
“You know, he lost his leverage early but you know you're playing against a Hall of Fame receiver that sometimes happens,” defensive coordinator Sean Desai said.
“But (he showed) the ability to not panic and stay poised and finish the down and that's really what it's about. I mean, late hands win and he was able to get that thing out at the end and that was a big play in the game for us.”
Brown has embraced his multiple roles, even though it’s meant more work, more prep, more film study, more extra time with the coaches figuring this all out.
“I just want to add value in any way I can,” Brown said. “We have a very talented (secondary) room. There's only so many opportunities to get on the field. As a young guy, I try to improve myself and earn my respect. I go play wherever they need me to.
“Pretty much all throughout college I played all over the place, so I'm pretty comfortable with everything, and I just look forward to continuing to grow week by week.”
