The New England Patriots continued to add to their defense Friday afternoon, agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran safety Marcus Epps that's worth up to $4.4 million. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero was first to report the deal.
Epps himself confirmed the signing on X (formerly known as Twitter):
Epps, 29, is coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2024 season after three games. He is expected to be cleared well before training camp, so the injury should not affect his availability for the start of the season.
After being mostly a backup for his first three NFL seasons, Epps won a starting job with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, when he recorded career highs in tackles (94), tackles for loss (4) and passes defended (6).
Epps then started all 17 games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023, when he was a team captain alongside new Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane. That team was coached by Josh McDaniels for half a season before his firing. McDaniels, of course, is now the Patriots' offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Vrabel.
In his last full season in 2023, Epps had a PFF grade of 65.4, which ranked 69th out of 174 safeties. He had a run defense grade of 69.7 and a pass coverage grade of 62.3.