Time to Take Shrinkwrap Off Eagles' Sydney Brown?

If not Sunday against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, then when?

The ultimate end game at safety for the Philadelphia Eagles is no secret. The pairing of second-year find Reed Blankenship and athletic rookie Sydney Brown has the making of a potential top-tier duo for years on the back end of a Vic Fangio-styled defense focused on coverage and communication.

Blankenship, a 2022 undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State, has already seized his spot as a living indictment on the NFL's evaluation process. Even the Eagles shouldn’t be immune to that criticism either because they secured Blankenship for a $5,000 promise before stumbling over a player who is already above average at his position by Year 2.

Brown arrives with a higher pedigree as a third-round “Red Star” player, penciled in as part of the defensive plan. Only a handful of players get the Philadelphia "Red Star" designation each year, an all-encompassing evaluation that not only includes football acumen but everything off the field as well.

A London, Ontario, native whose twin brother Chase was a fifth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in April as a running back, Brown is somewhat of a projection by Philadelphia because of the role he played in college at Illinois, essentially a hybrid safety/linebacker who created havoc near the line of scrimmage.

“If you really look at my tape from college, I played in the post but it’s just different (at the pro level),” Brown told SI.com's Eagles Today in a wide-ranging discussion this week. “I mean you’re not playing sideline to sideline. You’re only in the middle of the field so there’s some stuff you gotta slow down.”

Ironically, the training Brown received with the Illini got him on the field first after the Eagles lost nickel backs Avonte Maddox and Zech McPhearson to injury and had to piecemeal things together in the slot during Week 3 against Tampa Bay.

The plan was to move All-Pro outside cornerback James Bradberry inside when needed and to supplement that with Brown in certain situations.

That idea worked beautifully as the Eagles’ defense stymied Baker Mayfield and Co.. allowing only 174 total yards and 133 passing.

Brown, meanwhile, played 12 snaps, 11 in the slot, and excelled with a stellar 86.9 grade in coverage per Pro Football Focus.

“I love being close to the line of scrimmage,” Brown admitted when discussing his time at Illinois. “Like a big nickel rotating down into the box. Like a baby linebacker a lot of time. It’s just like a combination of both worlds.”

Sticking with that plan long-term was always untenable, though, because Bradberry is a special player outside the numbers. It also had to be quickly shelved in the micro as well because Brown strained his hamstring against the Bucs, costing the rookie games against Washington and at the Los Angeles Rams.

“It’s been one of those things you can’t rush pack,” Brown said, “If I can’t be me at 100 percent as much as I want to play, obviously you have to do what’s best for the team.”