Sydney Brown has impressive first start for Eagles, believes there’s room to grow going forward

PHILADELPHIA — Sydney Brown finally got the opportunity to show the Philadelphia Eagles what he brings to the defense. Whether injuries at the position forced the Eagles to go to the third-round rookie or not, Brown took advantage of the opportunity.

The excited Brown didn’t hold back. He was emotional about his first start in the NFL, the chance many players don’t get. 

“It’s a next man up mentality. You never know what’s gonna happen,” Brown said. “You just have to be ready for your moment. It’s encouraging to contribute to this.”

Brown was part of an Eagles defense that allowed just 10 points and 244 yards to the Dolphins in a 31-17 victory Sunday night. The Eagles only allowed 199 passing yards, none of which were allocated to Brown. He played 84% of the defensive snaps (46 total) and wasn’t even targeted in coverage.

The Dolphins couldn’t even go trial by fire with Brown. They never were able to start the test. 

“He did a good job. It was his first time. It was an exciting and emotional game for him to be out there. He’s such a competitor,” Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. “He played physically in the spots that we needed him to play physically at, came down in the box, and did a good job of communicating. So, I think it was a good game for him to kind of get his feet wet and get going.”

Why was Brown able to play so well on the prime-time stage against the No. 1 offense in the NFL? Desai’s confidence in him paid massive dividends in the days leading up to the game.

“It’s just attention to detail,” Brown said. “The intensity that comes with him each and every day. He stays calm on those moments and that’s a big thing. He has confidence in the players and their ability to make plays. Having the belief that we can do everything on the field, he sees what’s going to work coming into the week.”

Brown was a favorite to earn a starting safety spot over the summer, but was stuck on the second team behind Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans. Evans started Week 1, but ended up on injured reserve with a knee injury. Brown did get his opportunity to play in Week 3 as the No. 3 safety behind Blankenship and Evans, but ended up injuring his hamstring during that game and didn’t return until Sunday against the Dolphins. 

The Eagles had to play Brown with all the injuries at the position, but they could have used him sooner. 

“Can’t help the team if I’m on the sideline,” Brown said. “I had the hamstring injury and its just something that’s so preventable. I’m going to do my job to keep myself on the field.”

Even though Brown is back and played well, the Eagles upgraded at safety by acquiring Kevin Byard one day after beating the Dolphins. Byard will start with a healthy Blankenship, leaving Brown back to his role as the No. 3 safety. 

The best ability is availability. That’s how Brown can help the Eagles defense accomplish what they want for the remainder of the year. 

“I know I can last. I can last all 18 games,” Brown said. “It’s just preparing each and every week. You never know what’s gonna happen, so you wanna do the little things right. It’s a long season. 

“I wanna stay out of the tub and the training room as much as possible. I want to be productive and help this team win games.”