PHILADELPHIA -- There may not be any bubble player on the Philadelphia Eagles that stated their case for a 53-man roster spot more than Tristin McCollum.
Getting a year to prove his value to the Eagles, McCollum took this year's training camp with even more motivation. A strong training camp last year wasn't enough to make the 53-man roster, but the former undrafted free agent safety further helped his cause this summer.
"I feel good," McCollum said after the Eagles' preseason finale Saturday. "It's been a good training camp. It's definitely been my best training cap so far, so to see the continued growth, it feels good."
The preseason finale was a culmination of the strong summer McCollum had, leading the Eagles with nine tackles and a pass defended. Already a strong tackler, McCollum has improved in coverage this preseason -- allowing 59 yards in coverage on nine targets (70.1 rating). McCollum did get those many reps last preseason even with the strong summer, as he was a long shot to make the 53-man roster.
This summer, that's far from the case.
"I was very excited to get back and fly around," McCollum said. "It also helps that you have an identical twin that's been playing for another team, so you look at that and you're like he's doing it over there, why not me?"
McCollum is the twin brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum, who is on his way toward winning a starting cornerback job in Tampa Bay. The brothers talk every day and help each other out with their games, with everything coming full circle during the Eagles' wild card playoff loss to the Buccaneers.
Both McCollum's played in that game, as Tristin got the practice squad call up and faced brother Zyon on special teams. The moment was surreal for Tristin, a testament toward how far he come in that 2023 season. McCollum was on the practice squad all year, but ended up as a call up for three regular season games -- and the wild card playoff game. he saw game action in two of the final three games of the season.
"That was big. Any time you can get some in-game experience, especially in the regular season, postseason, whatever it is, it's very valuable," McCollum said. "Especially for a player like me who doesn't get many reps, so it's good to get in that atmosphere so you know what to expect moving forward."
McCollum carried that momentum into the summer, sensing an opportunity to make the 53-man roster at safety. The Eagles had C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship in the fold and moved Avonte Maddox over to safety in training camp. James Bradberry converted to safety in an attempt to show the Eagles he still has value, and his salary makes the picture even more complicated.
Sydney Brown is expected to start on the PUP list and the Eagles did sign Caleb Sterns in mid-August, but he hasn't practiced yet.
The safety decision is going to come down to McCollum or Bradberry. The Eagles have to make a decision on Bradberry's contract by Tuesday, and aren't likely to find a trade partner for him. Either they keep Bradberry and his $4.3 million cap number on the roster or release him in favor of McCollum.
Based on how McCollum has played this summer, the decision is even more difficult.
"You can't really stress about anything," McCollum said on the roster cutdowns. "Just kind of go home, be with family, talk with family, relax. We get like three days off so really enjoy the off time and find peace."
