Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Position Preview: Edge Rushers
The Eagles Defensive Line is the heart of their defense. It’s top heavy with depth for days. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has always prided himself on having a great pass rush up front and this roster is easily the most depth he’s ever had.
Unlike my Offensive Line article, I’m breaking the line down into two spots. It’s easier on this side because you don’t have very many players who are playing multiple spots(outside of a few who move inside in sub-packages). You have your edge and interior rushers(DE and DT).
The edge rusher group is a little bit stronger than the interior group. Hell, it’s a lot stronger. Their 6th best defensive end might be better than any outside pass rusher the Rams currently have.
Brandon Graham -
This is a big year for Graham, despite having the strip sack that won Super Bowl 52. He’s on the final year of his current contract and we still don’t know if the Eagles plan to bring him back or let him walk and promote some younger ends.
Graham is clearly the best defensive end and second best linemen on this roster, but he’s 30 and will probably require $10-$13 mil a year on his new deal. That’s a lot for a team working with little cap space and about a year away from giving Carson Wentz a record quarterback contract.
Derek Barnett -
This is going to be a interesting year for Barnett. Vinny Curry is gone and there is a huge opportunity for him to really breakout in 2018. I was a fan of his when he came out of Tennessee. He’s bendy, quick, athletic and his motor never shuts down. He has all the makings of a highly productive defensive end, especially in this scheme.
He’s going to get a lot of first team reps in preseason and will be expected to impress early on. He’s not only playing for a full-time first team role this season, he’s also playing to prove to the Eagles front office that they can survive without Brandon Graham long-term. Nothing will help Graham’s leverage as an Eagle more than Barnett having a sophomore slump.
Chris Long -
Last year Long became one of the few players in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls with two different teams. This year he is attempting the Ken Norton Jr, he’s trying to win three straight Super Bowls. No team has done it, but Norton Jr won Super Bowls 27 and 28 with Dallas and 29 with San Francisco.
With the loss of Curry and the potential pending court case of Michael Bennett, Long became really important to the Eagles depth on the edge. He’s not the player he was with the Rams early in his career, but he’s still such a natural pass rusher off the edge. He’s crafty, his hand usage is outstanding and he has a knack for getting his hand on the ball before the quarterback releases it.
Right now Long is a key part of that second line of Eagles pass rushers and a key player on third down.
Michael Bennett -
Bennett is the fourth Eagles edge rusher I’m mentioning and that in itself is pretty ridiculous. Just as a fan of his game, I’m really glad he gets to play in a wide-9 type scheme. He was a great fit in Seattle’s 4–3 Under scheme, but this is an even better fit. He gets to one-gap for four quarters and really wreak some havoc in opposing backfields. He’s also going to play just as much end and he is tackle, especially with Tim Jernigan being out until possibly November.
I expect to see a lot of Bennett in preseason. He’s learning a new scheme and playing with all new teammates. The coaches would probably like to see him get as many snaps as possible, so he’s fully comfortable in this scheme by Week 1 so he can just let loose.
Josh Sweat -
I really don’t know what to make of Sweat at this point. His combine numbers were through the roof, but he had a really bad knee injury that he may not be fully recovered from yet and he never played quite as quick on the field as he tested at. Is he untapped potential, or just a star in shorts that is highly injury prone? I really have no idea.
I hope this kid gets more preseason reps than any other edge rusher. He needs them, especially with the first team. Let him go up against starting NFL tackles and see where he is at. Parts of his college tape were really outstanding.
Stevens Means -
Probably the best #5 defensive end the last two seasons. He’s got a decent chance to get more snaps and become a part of a four man defensive end rotation with Michael Bennett possibly seeing more snaps on the interior while Tim Jernigan is out.
If Bennett does take on more of an inside role this season, Means will be fighting for the #4 defensive spot with a very promising rookie, Josh Sweat.
Joe Ostman -
Ostman is going to land on the Eagles practice squad. He’s not beating out 5 of the players listed above him, the Eagles aren’t keeping 6 defensive ends on the roster, but Ostman is somebody they will want to keep around for at least another year. He’s an undrafted rookie from Central Michigan who has 21 sacks in his last 22 games.
Ostman isn’t a great athlete, but his motor will really catch your attention. He’s a intense pass-rusher who will come at you with everything he’s got on every snap. If he can improve his pass-rush moves and add some strength in the weight room, I think he has a future in this league. He’ll be worth keeping an eye on late in these four preseason games.
Danny Ezechukwu -
Brought in as a camp body at defensive end, but also projects as either a SAM or a stand-up rusher in a 3–4 defense. He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine this past March, but he did have a full workout at his pro day at Purdue. He ran a 40 just under 4.9, weighed in under 250 pounds and his 3-cone was slower than many offensive linemen at the combine(7.68).
He’s the 8th defensive end on this roster right now, so most of his snaps in preseason will come really late in games. He’ll have to showcase some NFL skill, otherwise the Eagles could look to release him and add depth elsewhere.
