With second round draft pick, Eric Rowe playing cornerback, there’s going to be a tremendous competition between Earl Wolff, Ed Reynolds and Jaylen Watkins for the starting safety job beside Malcolm Jenkins.
Wolff is the favorite right now, but he’s coming off knee surgery. He does have more experience at the pro level than the others. It’s simple, the best man will play. The competition will be wide open.
Wolff , who was a fifth round pick in 2013, has shown flashes of being a play maker at the safety spot, but he’s got to show that he can handle playing man-to-man. He has been a good open field tackle, but he has to prove to the coaching staff he can handle the mental aspect of the game. Wolff has been unreliable at times and been out of position too often. He has to prove to the staff that he can carry out his assignments consistently.
Reynolds was a fifth round pick in the 2014 draft and this will be his chance to show what he can do. He’s got the speed and quickness to play man-to-man but he needs some experience doing it because he wasn’t asked to do this at Stanford. Reynolds is a very intelligent young man and his father Ed Reynolds Sr. had a 10 year career as a NFL linebacker with the Giants and the Patriots. The young Reynolds was a big play guy in college and had three interceptions in one season which he returned for touchdowns. If he can come up with some big plays now, it could win him the job.
Watkins was a corner during his college days, so he’s been asked to play quite a bit man-to-man previously in his career. It should help him in the competition. We will see whether he can handle the mental part of the safety position as well as the open field tackling. He has put on some weight as a preparation for his opportunity at safety. His versatility could win him the job, but he has to prove he’s willing to be physical in the tackling.
Rookie Randall Evans, who the Birds grabbed in the sixth round last week will also get the shot to show what he can do. He’s a long shot. Evans has the ability to cover man-to-man, but he doesn’t have much experience playing safety.
The key will all these guys is not giving up the big play. The Birds lead the league in giving up big plays, which kept the team out of the playoffs.
Chris Maragos and Chris Prosinski are primarily special teams players. They have been outstanding in that area, but they’re not considered legitimate candidates for that starting safety position.
One of these guys needs to step to the forefront and win the position beside Jenkins. It should be an interesting competition.
If nobody is this group steps up then the Eagles will have to look to one of the corners like, Rowe or Nolan Carroll to do the job.
First team: Malcolm Jenkins, Earl Wolff
Second team: Ed Reynolds, Jaylen Watkins
Third team: Jerome Couplin, Randall Evans,Chris Maragos, Chris Prosinski, E.J. Biggers
Watkins job to lose.
Should be fun to watch and a wide open competition
I like Watkins or Reynolds to get the Starter’s Job with Biggers & Couplin hanging tough in the competition..
Paulman I forgot about Ed Reynolds definitely need to brush up on him. Still think its Watkins to lose and if he falls all over himself they will make a trade this preseason.
open competition, –
this starting spot is interesting. I pray one of these players wins the spot and succeeds. I don’t want to see a revolving door all season.
They better be solid no more late allen
Bold prediction Ed reynolds will win the job he was a beast at Stanford. His senior year he dealt with injuries that set him back.
Please not Biggers!