Eagles safety Johnathan Cyprien’s physical style might not seem like the team’s type, but he adds options in the secondary

It’s been a long time since the Eagles signed or drafted a true box safety, which is what Johnathan Cyprien, brought aboard Friday, is reputed to be.

What’s changed? Well, they might be thinking outside the box — to the three-safety “big nickel” look Jim Schwartz and other NFL defensive coordinators are favoring more and more.

In the later years of Andy Reid, then in the Chip Kelly-Bill Davis era and up to now under Doug Pederson and Schwartz, the Eagles have valued interchangeable safeties. It was an established fact that you couldn’t play here if you couldn’t cover down the field, at least decently. Sometimes it turned out that the Eagles had drastically overestimated a player’s talent level (Nate Allen, Jaiquawn Jarrett, et. al) but they began their evaluation with that premise. If a draft prospect or free agent was touted as a possible Eagle, but carried the “strictly box safety” label, reporters knew better than to waste their time on the guy.

Maybe Cyprien, known as a 6-foot-1, 211-pound thumper against the run, is better in coverage than his reputation suggests, and can give free-agent signee Andrew Sendejo a run for his roster spot. Or maybe Schwartz has a very specific role in mind. Or, third possibility, they feel they’re thin on experienced depth and they’re just kicking the tires on a former 33rd-overall pick who has 70 NFL starts under his belt, for Jacksonville and Tennessee.

Lots of moving parts right now for the Eagles’ defense, which got safety Rodney McLeod (knee) back for 11-on-11 work Saturday, but might be missing slot corner Cre’Von LeBlanc well into the season (Lis franc sprain). After a collision Saturday with running back Jordan Howard, starting linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill reportedly suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain in his left knee.

McLeod, who tore his ACL last Sept. 23, said he didn’t quite do everything Saturday, but came close.

“A lot more than I was doing a few days ago. So far, so good,” he said. “Body’s feeling good. First time lining up against guys on a consistent basis. We’ve got a good group of wide receivers.”

Cyprien, 29, wasn’t ceding any ground in any area when asked after his first Eagles practice about hybrid safety-linebackers and whether he might fit that profile.

“Let me tell you something about safeties. I think we’re the most versatile people on the field,” Cyprien said. “Not only can we cover one of the top targets on teams, like tight ends, but we can also tackle the great running backs that we have in this division. So we’re able to do a lot of things. Coaches just get smarter and smarter by using us in different ways. I mean, look at Malcolm [Jenkins]. He plays every position on the field."

Indeed, Jenkins, 31, pretty much does that, staying on the field for every snap last season, including the playoffs. But if Cyprien, who missed 2018 after suffering a training camp ACL tear, was Malcolm Jenkins, he would not have been sitting on the shelf as the calendar turned to August.

“I don’t know yet,” Jenkins said, when asked what he thought Cyprien would bring to the defense. “Veteran experience, I think that’s always good – somebody that can come in and learn things pretty quick, understands the game, being in the league as long as he has.”

Cyprien, who signed a one-year contract, has a believer in defensive tackle Malik Jackson, who overlapped with him for the 2016 season in Jacksonville.

“He’s very cerebral, so he knows what’s going on out there. He knows how to put plays together,” Jackson said. “Physical, he can come downhill and put the pads on you. He can cover. I think he’s an all-around DB, and once he’s healthy, he’s one of the best in the game.”

Cyprien’s work in 2016 convinced the Titans to sign him for four years and $25 million the next offseason. He played just 10 games in Tennessee, missing six starts with a 2017 hamstring injury, then missing everything last season, before the Titans cut their losses.

Cyprien worked out for the Eagles in early June, but they didn’t sign him then.

“Back in June we were still trying to get some information on his [knee] injury. Everything’s medically checked out fine with him … It just gives us depth,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said, after the team waived former Bucs and 49ers safety Godwin Igwebuike to bring in Cyprien. “We swapped out player-for-player at that position … Bring him in, let him see what he can do and how he can help us.

“He’s just gotta come in and embrace the role. He has been a box safety, a bunch in his career. He’s a physical guy. No one better to learn from, obviously, than Malcolm ... It’s about him coming in, picking up our defense as fast as he can, fitting into that role.”

Cyprien has started every game he has played in the NFL. He was asked if he could adjust to being a role player here, if that turned out to be the setup.

“I’m going to adjust to always being a playmaker, and doing what I do to help the team … Whatever I can do to help this team and organization [win the Super Bowl], that’s what I’m going to do,” he said.

Sitting and waiting for a call as camps opened, he “definitely tried to be patient,” Cyprien said. “I believe everything is a mindset, and how you think about things, but I can’t lie to you, I love football, so I did start to itch a little bit.

“Aug. 1 last year is when I tore my ACL in camp. First time I’ve been able to get on the field, put on shoulder pads and a helmet. It’s special to me. It’s something I love to do.”