The last year has been a struggle for veteran safety Marcus Epps. In 2023, the Las Vegas Raiders signed him, and he quickly became a key player.
He started all 17 games for the team in 2023 and was a team captain. Last season, he was a Week 1 starter and team captain again, but tore his ACL after three games. The Raiders decided against bringing him back this offseason, and he landed with the New England Patriots.
However, they decided to cut him before the start of the regular season. After spending a few weeks in free agency, Epps is returning home. The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed Epps to the active roster.
Epps was a key player for the Eagles from 2019 to 2022. He started all 17 games for the team in 2022, but the Raiders were able to poach him in free agency.
He’ll now get a chance to finish what he started in Philadelphia. The fact that they’re signing him straight to the active roster would suggest that they expect to have a role for him. Epps was a beloved player in the Eagles’ locker room, so there should be plenty of players happy to see him back. How big his role will be on the defense remains to be seen.
Jakorian Bennett to Injured Reserve
Speaking of former Raiders, the Eagles also announced that cornerback Jakorian Bennett is headed to the Injured Reserve, which means he’ll be out for at least four games. This is a disappointing development for Bennett, who also missed most of last season with an injury.
Raiders fans were really disappointed when the young cornerback was traded to the Eagles this offseason. He showed real promise last season, and it looked like the team might have a potential long-term starter. It’s clear now that he struggles to stay healthy.
He could still be an impact player eventually, but the Raiders are better off with defensive tackle Thomas Booker, who is healthy and can play.
Raiders CBs Need to Play Better
A big reason why fans were disappointed that Bennett got traded was due to the Raiders’ lack of big names in the secondary. Las Vegas has the 24th-ranked pass defense in the NFL right now and got carved up against backup quarterback Marcus Mariota in Week 3 vs. the Washington Commanders.
Head coach Pete Carroll wants to see his cornerbacks avoid giving up big plays.
“(Kelly) got whipped on that one,” Carroll said recently. “That was a really nice play by them and all, but we should have had a chance to stay on top. That was at a time in the game when that’s what they’re going to do and unfortunately, we didn’t take care of that. (Cornerback Eric) Stokes played really well again, and it was great to get Darien out there. It was the clear opportunity to throw him out, and he made a couple tackles and looked comfortable in coverage and did like he’s been doing in practice. So, those guys are developing. We’ve got to make sure we’re staying on top. Easy plays are just — they’re killers.”
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