Josh Uche just teased the kind of breakout season Eagles sorely need

It took barely 48 hours after last week’s season opener for general manager Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles to seek help at EDGE defender, and the reaction from fans was priceless.

The move was hardly met with surprise. It was more like, What took you so long, Howie?

Philly’s decision to wait until September to add three-time Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith to the roster is definitely questionable. With that said, so was the team’s plan to replace Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Bryce Huff with Azeez Ojulari, Josh Uche and rookie draft pick Antwaun Powell-Ryland.

We know the Eagles can count on starters Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt; the duo combined for eight pressures on quarterback Dak Prescott during Philly’s Week 1 win over the Cowboys, per Pro Football Focus.

The concern is (and has been) the depth behind those two ascending stars, and while the 32-year-old Za'Darius Smith should help some, the Eagles could have a breakout performer on their hands based on Week 1 pass-rushing metrics.

Philadelphia Eagles EDGE Josh Uche was NFL’s most efficient pass rusher in Week 1, but will it last?

Uche flashed multiple times in the Cowboys game, but per PFF’s advanced stats, he was the top pass rusher across the entire NFL in Week 1.

“Uche's 92.7 PFF pass-rushing grade in Week 1 paced the NFL, and he did it in his first game with the Eagles. He was deployed as a pass-rushing specialist against the Cowboys, with all 19 of his snaps coming on passing plays.”

Frankly, the Eagles needed that type of performance from the former second-round draft pick out of Michigan. Ojulari was a somewhat surprising healthy scratch for that game, and Powell-Ryland, a sixth-round pick this year, was waived shortly after it.

It’s worth highlighting Uche’s role as a “pass rushing specialist,” though. That’s been the case since his days with Bill Belichick in New England. At 226 pounds, he’s a potential liability against the run. He’s only going to be deployed in obvious passing situations, like third-and-long, two-minute drills, or when the Eagles are leading a game by multiple scores.

That’s a long way of saying that Uche wouldn’t be an option for a three-down role if either Hunt or Nolan Smith misses time with an injury. That’s what necessitated the move for Za'Darius Smith, and it’s why Philly’s EDGE situation still feels uncomfortable, even with Uche’s hot start.

Uche has displayed a nice array of pass rushing moves in the past and has flashed like this before. But he was available for less than $2 million in free agency this offseason for a reason. One-trick ponies will only take you so far, and no matter how you want to spin it, the Eagles still lack the horses at EDGE defender that helped lead them to last year’s Super Bowl title.