Eagles Already Have 'Breakout' Candidate In Philly

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to try to navigate the losses of the offseason with not only the additions the team has made in free agency and the National Football League Draft, but also with internal candidates.

This is specifically true when it comes to the pass rush. A lot of talent has left the building. Milton Williams and Josh Sweat both left in free agency, Brandon Graham retired, and the team traded Bryce Huff to the San Francisco 49ers.

Now, the question is who is going to step up? The Eagles have internal guys looking for bigger roles, like Moro Ojomo or Jalyx Hunt. The Eagles signed interesting free agents, like Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari. Philadelphia also drafted Jihaad Campbell in the first round along with other guys like Ty Robinson, Smael Mondon Jr., and Antwaun Powell-Ryland.

It's going to be interesting to see who can win out in camp, but it sounds like Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine has faith in Hunt. He called the 24-year-old Philadelphia's "top summer breakout candidate."

"Top Summer Breakout Candidate: Edge Jalyx Hunt," Ballentine said. "The Eagles lost a lot of pass-rush firepower this offseason. Milton Williams was an interior player, but he was a productive pass-rusher. Josh Sweat left in free agency. Bryce Huff struggled, but he's still one less pass-rusher on the roster after Philly traded him to San Francisco.

"That leaves a fairly large vacuum for a player like Jalyx Hunt to step into. He played 25 percent of the defensive snaps as a rookie with 1.5 sacks, but he played his best football in the postseason with another 1.5 sacks. Philadelphia has always been adept at building a dominant pass rush. It's hard to believe it wouldn't have been more aggressive if it didn't believe Hunt has big things in store for 2025."

He was taken in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and had 1 1/2 sacks last year. Could he be in line for a big role now?