Can Eagles' Howie Roseman Remake Defense with Trades of Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat?
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles are listening to teams making trade offers for Josh Sweat and have now given the edge rusher permission to seek a trade, according to an NFL source.
That news comes on the heels of granting Sweat's bookend, Haason Reddick and his agent Tory Dandy, the same kind of rope a month earlier.
Considering the duo was arguably the team's biggest strength of the defensive side of the ball entering the 2023 season, the development has stunned many Philadelphia fans. However, both players are looking for big-money contract extensions and fizzled down the stretch last season.
Multiple team sources told SI.com's Eagles Today that the organization was disappointed with how the defensive front played during the defensive collapse last season, particularly regarding discipline and what was being asked.
Often, during the Eagles' struggles, it seemed as if all three levels were on different pages, and because the talent up front dwarfed the back seven, the frustration with the proven veterans was heightened.
That's not to say that the Eagles don’t value the talent of Reddick and Sweat but rebooting is certainly possible and arguably preferable for GM Howie Roseman under the right circumstances.
With the start of the legal negotiating period Monday at noon and the new league year set to kick off Wednesday, March 13 at 4 ET, it was noted that this is about more than just the 2024 season.
Both Reddick, who will turn 30 in September, and Sweat, who turns 27 later this month, are seeking big-money extensions with the former hopeful of cashing in near or even above a $25 million average annual value after four consecutive double-digit sack seasons.
Already, The Athletic's Dianna Russini has reported that the Eagles are going to be in on New York Jets free agent, Bryce Huff, 25, who is expected to command more than Reddick's current level of money ($15M AAV) when the legal negotiating period starts but should be far south of $25M.
Roseman also mentioned at the scouting combine that Nolan Smith, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, probably should have gotten more of a look during his rookie season and now that the Georgia product has undergone a maintenance procedure to help with a troublesome shoulder problem, it's clear that the Eagles' brass wants him more involved next season.
The Eagles want Nolan Smith more involved next season.
Ed Kracz/SI Fan Nation Eagles Today
Meanwhile, during Roseman's opening remarks in Indy, he briefly mentioned the futures market which netted Philadelphia Julian Okwara, a younger player who still has some upside.
The entire situation is shaping up as a re-imagining where the Eagles get younger and more cost-effective while adding valuable draft capital if Roseman can pull the whole thing off.
Desposed coach Sean Desai, now a senior defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams, and Tracy Rocker, now the D-Line coach in Tennessee, were also assigned significant blame for the falloff.
"I thought the interiors were the worst offenders, but the edges just played right into it as well," an NFL personnel executive said while noting the issues involved both run support and the pass rush. "Tracy Rocker just wasn't a good fit for this system."
That note came after being asked specifically about Reddick and Sweat and grew from there. The Eagles are not moving on from Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis at this stage so the hope is a stronger presence in Vic Fangio will help stem the issues and the sense is that the frustration last season was a bigger deal with veterans who should have known better.
Fangio, the architect of the defensive system the Eagles have been using through the last three seasons with both Jonathan Gannon and Desai/Matt Patricia, brought in Clint Hurtt, the ex-DC in Seattle who has a history with Fangio, as the D-line coach while Jeremiah Washburn remains as the coach of the edge rushers.
What will never change is that the organization still considers pass rushers as a foundational piece of the roster-building effort every year. Roseman, however, sees an opportunity to remake the landscape for a lengthier period with significant pieces if everything falls into place.
