NFL pro Marcus Epps finds tranquility during offseason

Posted 6/25/20

Marcus Epps has been around big cities his entire life.

The former Wyoming defensive back grew up in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States. He now plays for the Philadelphia …

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NFL pro Marcus Epps finds tranquility during offseason

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Marcus Epps has been around big cities his entire life.

The former Wyoming defensive back grew up in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States. He now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles in the nation’s sixth-largest city. For the majority of Epps’ 24 years of life, he’s been surrounded by people, traffic and flashing lights.

That’s why he enjoys training in Park County so much.

“It’s really been nice to unwind and get away,” Epps said.

Epps was a three-year captain for the Cowboys from 2016 to 2018, after joining the team as a walk-on in 2014. As a senior he was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s top walk-on.

The safety is now entering his second season in the NFL, after playing 15 games with the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings in the 2019-20 season.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Epps began the 2020 offseason training in southern California with his girlfriend, Megan Welch, and their 3-year-old son, Braxton. But when coronavirus cases skyrocketed in Los Angeles, the three traveled to Cody, Wyoming — where Welch’s parents reside — in mid-March.

Cody is the perfect place for Epps to hone his craft. It’s quiet (with a population under 10,000 people), cool and he’s been able to work out at Cody High School’s facilities.

Those three things have made it easy for Epps to sharpen his skills ahead of training camp.

“I’ve been doing a lot of speed work and continuing my on-field stuff,” he said. “Footwork, things like that. Making sure I’m getting out of my breaks explosive and fast. Able to accelerate and decelerate, making sure my angles are on point.”

The area offers another advantage to training athletes: altitude. With an elevation of 4,997 feet, Cody is nearly a mile high. This added difficulty to the exercises means Epps will likely be better suited once he returns to flatter grounds.

“It gets me in better shape,” Epps said. “I know it makes the workouts harder, so when I go back down to sea level, it’s going to be a lot easier to breathe.”

More than Cody being a reliable place to train, Epps is in the presence of his loved ones in a picturesque setting. After a long first season in the league, the reprieve couldn’t have come at a better time for the young defensive back.

“Last year was pretty tough, going from college straight to training for pro day and straight into OTAs [Organized Team Activities] and the season,” Epps said. “Having that extended offseason has been pretty cool for me to hang out with them and spend a lot of time that I wouldn’t have been able to spend.

“It’s been great for me, mentally,” he said.

Epps has also found a new passion during his time in northwest Wyoming: fishing. When he isn’t conditioning or sharpening his abilities, Epps can almost certainly be found casting his lines in local streams.

“I wish I would’ve gotten into it sooner,” Epps said. “We go boating a lot. I should’ve started when I was at UW.”

Between spending time with his family and fishing, these past three months in Cody have served as a break from reality. But it hasn’t changed his preparation at all.

During the heat of training, Epps worked out three times a day, rotating between on-field drills, weight training and core workouts, among other exercises. Even as the repetitions have tapered down in recent weeks, Epps and his training partner, Cody High School sophomore Matt Nelson, have continued working out six days a week.

Nelson, who plays running back and cornerback for the Broncs, has been impressed with Epps’ work ethic and leadership throughout the offseason.

“He always gives it his all and he is always ready to work,” Nelson said. “He’s taught me a lot of things. You’d expect NFL players to be all about themselves, but he’s really nice letting me train with him, so that’s been great.”

As Epps approaches his second season of professional football, his goal is simple: become an everyday player in the National Football League. Rewind a few years when Epps was just a walk-on, and all of this would have seemed unlikely.

But being overlooked is what motivated him to get here. And it’s certainly been a driving force behind this diligent offseason in Cody.

“I’ve always carried that chip on my shoulder, and it’s a big reason I work as hard as I do,” Epps said. “It drives me to continue to push and be a better player and person. That’s how it’s always been.”

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