The Philadelphia Eagles‘ pass rush was the backbone of last season’s Super Bowl championship.
Coordinator Vic Fangio’s front-seven reached its high-water mark of sacking Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times in Super Bowl LIX, without dialing up a single blitz the entire game.
However, with the 2025 NFL season rapidly approaching, Philadelphia’s pass rush will look starkly different when it runs out onto the field against the Dallas Cowboys to open up the campaign than it did when the confetti swirled around the SuperDome back in February.
Nolan Smith’s Development Could Be Critical for Philadelphia Eagles Defense
Emilee Chinn/Getty Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith aims to carry second-half surge in 2024 into the 2025 NFL season.
Former Eagles first-round draft choice Nolan Smith made a Herculean leap in 2024, upping his sack total to 6.5 last season from posting just one as a rookie, the prior season.
Over at Pro Football Focus, NFL analysts Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick ranked every roster while listing each team’s ‘X-Factor,’ including Smith getting the nod for the Eagles.
“Philadelphia lost longtime contributors Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham this offseason,” Chadwick and Wasserman write for PFF. “Which puts third-year man Nolan Smith in the spotlight off the edge. Smith posted a solid 68.3 PFF pass-rush grade last season as he began to earn more playing time.
“In Philadelphia’s four postseason games, he racked up 19 pressures and four sacks. If he can produce at that level for a full season, the Eagles will have no problem replacing their departed stars.”
As PFF points out, Smith saved some of his best moments for the Eagles’ most important games, while still finishing the 2024 season with 31 total pressures despite a crowded, veteran position group.
Smith’s emergence likely made general manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles feel comfortable not overpaying to keep Sweat, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, where he reunites with former Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
Originally chosen No. 30 overall by the Eagles in the 2023 NFL Draft, Smith has 7.5 career sacks with 60 total tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries through his first two seasons, but Year 3 of his career might be the most critical yet both in his trajectory and for Philadelphia’s defense to continue creating havoc.
Eagles’ Compensation for Bryce Huff in San Francisco 49ers Trade Revealed
Heather Barry | Getty The Philadelphia Eagles have traded edge rusher Bryce Huff to the San Francisco 49ers.
Smith will have one fewer roadblock to expanded playing time, after the Eagles traded underachieving and $51 million free agent bust, edge rusher Bryce Huff to the San Francisco 49ers.
While Huff was a nonfactor during his lone season with the Eagles, to the point that he was a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl, the 27-year-old reunites with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was the New York Jets’ defensive coordinator in 2023 when Huff logged a career-high 10 sacks.
Tuesday, it was revealed that Roseman and the Eagles fetched a conditional fifth-round pick that can become a fourth-round selection if Huff hits various performance benchmarks, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Philadelphia gets to turn the page from one of the organization’s rare free agent whiffs, and stands to benefit if Huff thrives back in the comfort of Saleh’s scheme.
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