Taking stock of the Eagles’ internal options after the Brandon Graham injury

Brandon Graham’s season ending (career ending?) triceps injury raises questions about how the Philadelphia Eagles will move forward at the cornerback position. Graham ranks second among Philly pass rushers this season in snaps played (28.3 per game).

We’ve looked at some outside free agent options in the past which the team can consider. Let us now take stock of the internal possibilities.

EDGE RUSHERS ON THE ROSTER

JOSH SWEAT

Sweden was also beaten up Los Angeles Rams. It is unclear if his injury will prevent him from playing.

Sved leads all Eagles edge rushers in snaps played and total sacks this season. He averages 39 snaps per game. game, and he’s pretty consistently played around that number; his season low is 35 and his season high is 45.

The read here is that the Eagles don’t want to break a sweat like they did last year. But they might have to trust him a little more now.

NOLAN SMITH

The 2023 first-round pick has made strides recently with 3.5 sacks and six quarterback hits in his last seven games. Smith is inconsistent as a pass rusher, but he can provide some splash plays in addition to setting the edge as a run defender.

The Eagles should increase Smith’s workload a bit with the hope that he can continue to improve.

JALYX HUNT

Hunt saw 25 defensive snaps in Week 10, which was one game after Bryce Huff suffered his wrist injury. But then Hunt didn’t play a single defensive snap in Week 11. Maybe the coaches didn’t love what they saw? Huff’s injury forced the Eagles to rely on Hunt again in Week 12. And now the team really has no choice but to count on the 2024 third-round pick to be a rotation contributor.

At the time Hunt was drafted, it looked like he might need a full year to see meaningful playing time. But he appeared to be more advanced than expected this summer. What Hunt lacks in experience, he may be able to make up for in athletic tools.

EDGE RUSHER ON INJURED RESERVE

BRYCE HUFF

The Eagles placed Huff, who had wrist surgery Thursday, on injured reserve ahead of Week 12. He is therefore eligible to return to the field as soon as the Week 16 game against the Washington’s commanders.

It’s not clear if Huff will actually be healthy enough to play at that point. And if he is, Huff hasn’t really played well this season … even before his injury.

GET CREATIVE

ZACK BAUN

It’s hard to move Baun out of his linebacker role when he’s legitimately played like an All-Pro at that position. But the Eagles may need him to contribute some more snaps at edge defender. He obviously has experience in that role. The Eagles could look to put Oren Burks or Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (guess the former is more likely) next to Nakobe Dean to free up Baun as a pass rusher.

MILTON WILLIAMS

Williams has defensive tackle/defensive end versatility. His best work has come as an interior defender, but he may be able to fill in some snaps at cornerback. The Eagles have more DT depth to lean on if Williams plays more DE.

EXERCISE SQUAD

TARRON JACKSON

Placing BG on injured reserve and signing Jackson to the roster seems like a logical move. The Eagles’ 2021 sixth-round pick has just one career sack in 308 career snaps played, so he’s far from a proven commodity.

But Jackson flashed a bit this summer. He had one sack, two TFLs and two QB hits in the preseason. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus had Jackson as their seventh-best preseason edge rusher.

The Eagles waived Jackson in part because of a shortage of numbers. He caught on Carolina Panthers‘ practice squad and was signed to their roster before being waived a month later. Jackson returned to Philly earlier this month.

The Eagles could give Jackson a shot and see if he is able to contribute in a rotation capacity.

OCHAUN MATHIS

The Eagles first signed Mathis to the practice squad on Friday. Guess they won’t immediately make him a part of their wing defense rotation. But it is worth noting that he is nearby.