Eagles Have Four Ways To Answer Biggest Question That Emerged From OTA

PHILADELPHIA – One of the questions that emerged after the Eagles’ OTA on Tuesday was about the pass rush, particularly at the edge. Do the Eagles have enough on the outside to navigate a 17-game season, and not just any 17-game season, but a very grueling, highly demanding 17-game season?

After losing Josh Sweat in free agency and Brandon Graham to retirement, the answer looks like a no at this point, but perhaps looks can be deceiving, and there is an eternity before Week 1 arrives.

Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt are the likely starters outside. Smith is coming off a triceps tear in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9 and wore a brace on his left arm on Tuesday. Hunt was considered a project when he was drafted in the third round last year, though he came on strong late last season.

After them, though? Here’s a closer look at what they can do at edge:

Cross your fingers. Hope free agents Azeez Ojulari and/or Joshua Uche can contribute. Also, return Bryce Huff to the role of situational pass rusher, which made him a double-digit sack producer in his final year with the Jets. Scrap the idea of trying to make him a three-down player.

Huff has been a non-participant so far in everything the Eagles have done this offseason, which means he may not be a part of the team going forward. Mandatory minicamp is June 10. If he’s a no-show then, it’s unlikely he will be part of the team.

Trust the DC. It would not be wise to underestimate Vic Fangio. He’s been in this game a long time, and he should be creative enough to plug any deficiency that may or may not exist on the outside. Maybe with Jordan Davis expected to be more of a three-down player, capable of rushing the passer, Fangio can move either Jalen Carter or Moro Ojomo outside and bring in Thomas Booker, Ty Robinson, or even Gabe Hall or Byron Young to work at tackle next to Davis.

Wait for Campbell. The first-round rookie is listed as a linebacker but started his college career as an edge player. He’s just 236 pounds, but if the Eagles need him outside, they will use him outside. The question is, when will he be ready to return after shoulder surgery two months ago, and can the Eagles make do while they wait?

Sign a veteran. Von Miller is still sitting out there, and wouldn’t he love a chance to play for a Super Bowl team? Things did not end well in Buffalo for him, though, and, at 36, he doesn’t exactly fit the description of what the Eagles have done this offseason by getting younger. Until the Eagles get a longer look at the edge players, they probably won’t do anything rash. Perhaps Miller could even be a mercenary-type signing like Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh were a few years back.

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