Philadelphia Eagles first training camp practice, July 27, 2022

It had been nearly five months since safety Jaquiski Tartt had played in his last game with the San Franciso 49ers. Tartt was a free agent, looking for a new team after the 49ers decided not to resign him. After finally feeling as if his body was ready to undergo the rigors of another season, Tartt began looking for his new football home.

It was not as if Tartt did not have options. Several teams had been in contact with his agent, including the Eagles, trying to add him to their secondary. Eventually, the safety decided to come to Philadelphia, signing a one-year deal in June.

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Speaking for the first time since joining the Eagles, Tartt said there were a couple of factors that went into his decision, including a recent trip to Philadelphia last September with the 49ers to Lincoln Financial Field.

“Looking at this roster, there are a bunch of dogs on both sides of the ball,” Tartt said. “I remember playing against them last year, and it was one of those ‘ice bag games.’ A physical team is something you love as a football player.”

Tartt added another factor in his decision was cornerback James Bradberry, Tartt’s college teammate at Samford. Once Tartt saw Bradberry sign his deal with the Eagles, it moved the team toward the top of his list.

Now that Tartt is with the Eagles, the next task is for him to learn the scheme, which he is still digesting. Tartt knew it would be challenging, especially when a player joins a new team. One thing that Tartt said would help him is that some of the lingo used by the Eagles is similar to what the 49ers used.

Despite the similarities, Tartt still has to get familiar with the variation of the techniques used for the position, saying that once he had that down, everything else would follow.

“For me, it’s a ton of learning a playbook, being consistent with my technique, and using my eyes,” Tartt said. “Everything is going to come.”

As soon as Tartt is comfortable with the playbook, he will compete with Anthony Harris and Marcus Epps for time with the starters. Tartt said the two had played well in the brief time he had been with the team.

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“Those guys are pretty cool,” Tartt said about Epps and Harris. “They are a bunch of playmakers in the secondary. I think those guys have been working hard, and you can see it on film by how they go up for the ball and come up in the run game. Those guys are versatile. That’s huge with this defense.”

It is easy to see why the Eagles would be interested in Tartt and what he could bring to the Eagles. According to Pro Football Focus, Tarrt allowed 13 of the 24 passes targeted at him in zone coverage while allowing a 65.6 quarterback passer rating. The Eagles used several variations of zone coverage last season, switching between Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4, and Cover 6.

Having another experienced safety such as Tartt would allow defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon more ways to be creative with the coverages, especially in the middle of the field, while still having a physical safety in Tartt who can still help support in the run game.

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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.

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