Michael Carter II entered training camp as a depth defensive back. Now, he finds himself in the middle of one of the Philadelphia Eagles' most important position battles after Reed Blankenship's departure left a starting safety job up for grabs.
Since taking over as a full-time starter in 2023, Blankenship started 46 of a possible 48 regular-season games for Philadelphia, with an additional seven playoff starts. This offseason, he signed a three-year, $24.75 million contract with the Houston Texans, leaving a considerable hole in the secondary.
Carter is battling Marcus Epps for a starting role with the Eagles
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Cooper DeJean, named an All-Pro as a cornerback, will be making the move to safety when the defense is in base next to the returning strong safety Drew Mukuba, last year's second-round pick whose strong rookie season was ended in Week 12 due to a fractured ankle. DeJean will still play in the slot when in dime, leaving a safety spot open.
In 2022 and 2023, Carter was ranked a top 20 corner by PFF, mostly playing as a nickel corner. After a down year in 2024, the Eagles traded for Carter from the New York Jets last season during Philadelphia's bye week in order to add depth to a cornerback room that had some question marks surrounding it. Most of his usage came in the slot, with some limited snaps on the outside.
This year, Carter and Marcus Epps entered camp battling for the starting job. Epps appeared in 12 games last season, starting the final four games and in the Wild Card loss after Mukuba was sidelined.
While not the player he was in 2022 when he was the starter on Philadelphia's squad that reached the Super Bowl, Epps was still good against the run with a 77.6 PFF run-defense grade. Where he struggled was defending the pass, earning a poor 49.4 coverage grade. Still, Epps entered camp as the favorite for the job.
Carter's versatility makes him unique
While that position battle occurs, Carter isn't just competing at one spot: his versatility has expanded the ways the Eagles can use him. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised Carter's play and flexibility while learning different positions.
"He might be the only guy -- I'd have to think -- he's learning three positions. He's playing safety, nickel, and when we do go to our six-DB stuff, he's the sixth DB in there," Fangio said. "I think he's had a very good camp and has done nothing but helped himself and not eliminating himself from anything. Safety, he's progressing nicely."
Prior to camp, Carter had no experience playing safety in the NFL or at Duke, but his agility, coverage skills, and run support as a corner suggest he has the traits to succeed at the position. Even if Carter doesn't beat out Epps, his work ethic and versatility will land him on the 53-man roster and see some time on the field.
