Eagles Make A Meaningful Move On the Edge

In Thursday night’s 24-20 win over Dallas, Philadelphia started third-year player Nolan Smith and ascending second-year player Jalyx Hunt, with Josh Uche and practice squad elevation Patrick Johnson mixing in.

Both Azeez Ojulari and Ogbo Okoronkwo were inactive for the game.

The Eagles didn’t record a sack against the Cowboys, but were credited with 19 pressures by Pro Football Focus, with Smith, Hunt, and Uche all credited with 4 hurries apiece.

Uche did it in only 19 defensive snaps, while Hunt played in 39 and Smith in 52 of the team’s 61 defensive snaps against the Cowboys.

In that limited time, Uche was graded out by PFF as the top defensive player of the night for the Eagles, while Smith was No. 7 and Hunt No. 9, with both generating above-average grades. Hunt, though, had below-average grades in the pass rush.

The Eagles have been in the market for pass rush help recently, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Philadelphia “made a strong play” for now Green Bay superstar Micah Parsons.

A Dallas source pushed back on that description to Eagles On SI last night, claiming the Cowboys never seriously considered trading Parsons inside the division.

What we can say is that the Eagles have long loved Parsons as a player and Rosmean checks in on all available options, so the interest, while strong, was one-sided in that the Cowboys were never going to send Parsons to their division rivals, who happen to be the reigning Super Bowl champions.

As for Smith, if he has anything left in the tank, there is a good opportunity for the veteran to quickly gain a meaningful role in Vic Fangio’s defense. 

If all goes to plan, Nolan Smith and Za’Darius Smith will be the Eagles’ top two edge rushers with Hunt and Uche supplementing them.

To make room for Smith on the roster, the Eagles placed Ben VanSumeren on injured reserve after the fullback suffered a significant leg injury on the opening kickoff of Thursday’s game.