Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie safety could be after Sydney Brown’s starting job following NFL preseason debut vs Cleveland Browns
Philly’s 2025 second-round draft pick did not disappoint.
Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie safety Drew Mukuba did not disappoint in his NFL preseason debut against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon.
At the start of the second quarter, Mukuba snagged an interception off of Browns’ rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel and ran it back 75 yards for a pick-six.
He also recovered a fumble right before halftime.
Mukuba has been in competition with veteran Sydney Brown all summer for the starting safety job opposite Reed Blankenship, which seems to be going very well for him.
Even after missing some practice time due to a shoulder injury, he has not flinched during training camp practice and has taken first-team reps, despite missing time due to a shoulder injury.
Perhaps it helped that he used his “off time” wisely and picked Blankenship’s brain on the sideline.
“I just be trying to bug Reed,” Mukuba said of what he did to keep up during his injury. “I be asking him a lot of questions, I won’t shut up around him because I just want to be a guy who learns more. And kind of pick his brain a little bit more because he’s a guy that’s been doing this for a while at a very, very high level. I can’t shut up around Reed. I feel like I gotta ask him something every second.”
The Eagles selected Mukuba with the 64th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. After transferring from Clemson, Mukuba had a standout final season at Texas, recording 69 tackles, five interceptions, 12 pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
He will have one more preseason game to prove he’s starter-worthy when the Eagles face the New York Jets next Friday night.
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