Andrew Mukuba, a second-round rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles, made a notable debut in his first NFL preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. On the opening play of the second quarter, Mukuba intercepted a pass and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown, marking his first pick-six at any level of football.
“That’s a feeling that I want to have all the time, so there’s going to be many more for sure to come,” Mukuba said after the game. He added that he was surprised by Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel’s decision to throw the pass. “But that was a great feeling, to be honest, with the crowd behind me, me making a play. Obviously, the feeling of helping the team get the lead, just everything in itself, that felt good.”
Mukuba celebrated his touchdown with teammates on both the field and sideline. First-round pick Jihaad Campbell expressed excitement over Mukuba’s achievement. “I knew it was coming,” Campbell said. “I didn’t know when, but I knew it was coming as soon as I seen him pick it. I was running with him, and I was really just happy. I was in awe because of how hard he’s worked. He’s going to just keep continuing to learn and grow.”
Later in the game, Mukuba recovered a fumble following a mishandled handoff by Cleveland, which led to another scoring opportunity for Philadelphia.
Head Coach Nick Sirianni commented on Mukuba’s instincts and ability to make plays on defense: “I always thought that he has a knack for the football, how he practices, watching his tape, whether it was at Clemson or at Texas,” Sirianni said. “He has the ability to take the ball away as a playmaker. So anytime you go out there and make a play, that’s big. … He was there for the fumble recovery after they had a missed exchange. Well, guys that have a knack for the football just find some ways to be around the football, and I think that’s what we saw today.”
Mukuba credited his approach during games: “We just preach the ball a lot to where it’s just like second nature to where you just think ‘ball’ while you’re out there,” he said. “I feel like that’s when the play is coming, and that’s whenever you get an opportunity to make plays.”
Sirianni also pointed out Mukuba’s resilience after giving up long completions earlier in both practice and Saturday’s game but responding with key defensive plays afterward: “In this game, in this league, (you have) to … be able to have a short memory and move on so you can have your full focus, so you can coach and play with great detail, and you can play with great effort,” Sirianni stated.
After missing time early in training camp due to injury and sitting out Philadelphia’s preseason opener with a shoulder issue, Saturday marked Mukuba’s first appearance representing the Eagles.
“It felt good, first game back,” Mukuba said. “We didn’t get the result we wanted, but just coming back from a personal perspective, it felt amazing. But I’m going to keep building, keep getting better. I feel like there were some things I could have worked on as well too, but overall it felt good to be out there.
“I feel like it’s a lot of things on my end I got to clean up. As far as technique and just being in the right place. I mean, I wouldn’t say I had a good game but I had a solid game for sure. I mean—the plays I made were able to back it up—but looking deep down and looking in the mirror—looking at myself—I know for a fact there’s things out there I need to go out there and clean up for sure.”
The Eagles lost 22-13 against Cleveland at Lincoln Financial Field.
