Eagles Have 'Breakout' Candidate On Their Hands

The Philadelphia Eagles lost some important pieces of the defense this offseason so far but there are a lot of reasons to have hope.

The pass rush specifically took a hit, but the Eagles have shown that they know how to build a top-tier defense. There haven't been many misses in recent years by Howie Roseman and Co. The Eagles have been able to find diamonds in the rough. There's no bigger example than linebacker Zack Baun.

He broke out last year with Philadelphia and was one of the finalists for the National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award. It's impossible to predict a breakout of that nature, but Philadelphia has another guy who is getting positive buzz.

Josh Uche signed with the Eagles this offseason after a quiet year with the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots.

While this is the case, he's just 26 years old and had 11 1/2 sacks in 2022. There's a lot of hope for this guy and CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso even listed him among five "under-the-radar" breakout candidates.

"Uche has been trying to rekindle the magic from 2022 for two seasons now.," Trapasso said. "That year, the former Michigan star generated a pressure on more than 19% of his 285 pass-rushing snaps. Used as a pure edge-rushing specialist, Uche had hit his stride. He wasn't as effective the next season, but a pressure rate of over 16% is nothing of which to be ashamed. But he wasn't getting as many opportunities, and was traded during the 2024 season to the Chiefs.

"While the move felt like Kansas City prudently buying low on a talented specimen, Uche registered a mere one pressure on his new team on 40 pass-rushing snaps. If any club can accentuate pass-rushing skill, it's the Eagles. And after losing Josh Sweat and Milton Williams in free agency -- along with now being two years removed from Haason Reddick's presence along the defensive line, the Eagles have some job openings in their second and third waves."