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Eagles Add Depth On Defensive Front
Cleveland Browns defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) celebrates during the first half of an NFL football game at Huntington Bank Field. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On paper, the Eagles looked light at edge rusher entering training camp, and it turns out GM Howie Roseman agreed with that assessment.

The reigning Super Bowl champions signed veteran edge defender Ogbo Okoronkwo on the eve of their first training camp practice.

Entering his eighth NFL season, Okoronkwo (6-foot-2, 250 pounds) was a 2018 fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma by the Los Angeles Rams, where he spent his first four seasons. 

Coming off that rookie deal, Okoronkwo, 30, signed with Houston for the 2022 season and spent the last two campaigns with the Cleveland Browns before being released on June 26.

Okoronkwo has 17 career sacks, including 7 ½ over the past two seasons in Cleveland.

The Eagles also signed defensive tackle Jacob Sykes, who had a tryout on Monday.

To make room on the 90-man roster for the new depth on the defensive front, the Eagles waived edge rusher K.J. Henry and running back Lew Nichols. 

During the offseason, the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles lost Josh Sweat to Arizona in free agency, franchise icon Brandon Graham to retirement, and traded the underwhelming Bryce Huff to San Francisco.

Entering camp, the depth chart in Jeremiah Washburn's room is led by emerging third-year player Nolan Smith and talented second-year prospect Jalyx Hunt, who was instructed to gain weight in the offseason. 

From there, it’s prove-it signings Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche, rookie sixth-round pick Antwaun Powell-Ryland, practice-squad returnee Ochaun Mathis, and now Okoronkwo, who immediately becomes the second-oldest defensive player of a very young roster behind backup slot cornerback Parry Nickerson.   

Sykes (6-3, 277) went the Ivy League route at Harvard before finishing at UCLA and going undrafted in 2023 before signing with the Seattle Seahawks. Most recently, Sykes spent time with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL.

The IDL on the current Eagles’ 90-man roster includes second-team All-Pro Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, rookie Ty Robinson, Thomas Booker, Byron Young, and Gabe Hall.


This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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