The Eagles have signed safety Johnathan Cyprien to a one-year deal, according to an ESPN report.
Cyprien, 6-foot-1, 211 pounds, has totaled 506 tackles, 16 pass deflections, three sacks and two interceptions in 70 career games. Cyprien worked out for the Eagles and Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason. He is considered an extremely versatile player that is also a hard hitter.
The decision to bring in Cyprien is an interesting one to say the least.
The Eagles already have two starting safeties in Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, with a top backup as well in Andrew Sendejo. Behind that trio are Blake Countess, Tre Sullivan and Deiondre Hall, all of whom have at least a shot of making the roster. With Cyprien now in the fold, you have to think he would jump ahead of Sullivan and Hall. It is fair to question if maybe this impacts Sendejo or Countess. Sendejo has been getting all of the first-team snaps on defense with McLeod sidelined, however, so the coaches do seem to be pretty high on him. If the Eagles release Sendejo they would likely net another fourth-round compensatory pick, so this could be a sign they are heading in that direction, but it is hard to see the Eagles prioritizing a draft pick over a player that could contribute this season. More than likely, the signing of Cyprien is about depth and versatility in the secondary, especially on third down.
Either way, the signing is certainly an interesting one, and will make the safety battle one to watch going forward in training camp and the preseason.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
