Birds add Cyprien for depth
The Eagles think safety Johnathan Cyprien can help them, even if the fiveyear veteran sat out last season with a torn ACL.
Cyprien passed the physical Friday and joined the Eagles on a one-year contract, which isn’t much of a risk.
The real question is what does that mean for Andrew Sendejo, the veteran safety the Eagles signed early in free agency? Additionally, you have to wonder if the Cyprien signing has anything to do with the future of Malcolm Jenkins, who also is a strong safety type, and who wants a raise in line with recent contracts signed around the league.
Sendejo has shown his physical side in practices, sometimes when he
The Eagles added depth at safety with the signing of Jonathan Cyprien on Friday.
shouldn’t be. It’s hard to tell what kind of coverage skills he has.
Cyprien (6-1, 211) had range when healthy for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who took him off the board in the second round of the 2013 draft. But he has not been available as much as you’d prefer in a safety. He’s played just one complete season, that for the Jaguars in 2016.
Eagles free safety Rodney McLeod has been practicing but isn’t all the way back from torn ACL and MCL ligaments. Tre Sullivan and Blake Countess have experience playing safety, just not at the level of Cyprien, who started 60 games in Jacksonville and 10 with the Tennessee Titans in 2017.
In previous years the Eagles would bring back veteran Corey Graham to add depth at safety. Graham is 34.
The Eagles released safety Godwin Igwebuike to make room on the roster for Cyprien.
Earlier Friday the Eagles signed tight end Alex Ellis (6-4, 236), who spent two games last season with the Kansas City Chiefs and cut linebacker Joey Alfieri, the undrafted free agent out of Stanford.