Welcome to edge rusher row.
It’s never a dull place, these three neighboring lockers. It’s Nolan Smith, then Jalyx Hunt, then Bryce Huff. A pillar separates Smith from Saquon Barkley. There are days when the running back’s media scrums are so large, Smith has to weave through reporters to get his stuff like a concert-goer trying to get closer to the stage.
Brandon Graham is within hollering distance. That adjective has been well-tested. The 15-year veteran looks after his pups. Josh Sweat, the team’s sack leader, is typically sitting and grinning — a 6-5 contortion absorbed in his phone. There’s a little bit of Graham in Smith, another heckling voice that can be heard from across any room. It’s little coincidence the young trio is grouped together; they’re the ones who must earn their spaces, and, given they’re the ones under contract beyond this season, they’ll also be afforded the time.
In total, the edge rushers epitomize a personnel department’s proper portfolio for the volatility of football. They represent the investment of a team’s strongest resources and the contingencies that offer stability when the former isn’t going as planned. Zoom out and the group’s 15.5 sacks still account for more than half of the ninth-highest team total in the NFL (28). They’ve forced four of a fifth-ranked 10 fumbles. They’ve totaled 18 tackles for loss and have hit quarterbacks 25 times. No one cracks the top 20 in any of the major pass rush categories. The parts of some make up a respectable whole.
Arguably, the Philadelphia Eagles should have a more potent pass rush. That defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has fielded something formidable without premier production speaks to the sort of depth that can save seasons.
A full ruling can’t be given for several more years, but, as of now, no one has immediately benefited from the Haason Reddick trade. The New York Jets sunk a conditional 2026 third-round pick into a disgruntled pass rusher whose contract holdout lasted seven games and has since logged a half-sack in five games. Huff, Smith and Hunt are the only edge rushers under contract when the Eagles are scheduled to use the Reddick pick, and Huff, who backfilled Reddick’s roster spot by signing a three-year, $51.1 million free agency deal, is likely bound for injured reserve after recording 2.5 sacks in 10 games.
LIVE AT 3 P.M. ET – “Sunday Night Football” blog from The Athletic
GO FURTHER
What does Bryce Huff’s wrist surgery mean for the Eagles edge rushers?
