Sorting Through Eagles' Now-Crowded Edge Position After Beating Packers

The Eagles' defense took 68 snaps against the Packers on Monday night. Josh Uche didn’t get a single one, and that’s a surprise, because he had been playing reasonably well, and Vic Fangio didn’t get him a single snap.

Instead, the defensive coordinator is trying to make Jihaad Campbell an edge rusher – in the middle of the season, just to get the rookie on the field. It’s hard to blame him. Campbell will be here long term, Uche is probably one-and-done here.

Campbell took 10 of his 34 snaps on the edge. He’s just not ready for that role. Maybe next year he will be, and, depending on what the Eagles do with Nakobe Dean – sign him or let him walk in free agency – he will need to be. At least he will have OTAs and training camp to grow into the role both physically and mentally.

For now, Uche looks like the odd man out. The fewest snaps he took this season were 16 in Week 2. That could change, though. Fangio is expected to meet with reporters, along with Kevin Patullo and Michael Clay, on Thursday as the Eagles begin their quick turnaround to host the Lions on Sunday night.

Here’s how the snaps went at what is now a crowded position with the return of Nolan Smith from IR, the addition of Jaelan Phillips via trade, and the season debut for Brandon Graham.

Examining Depth On Eagles' Edge

-Phillips: 78 percent – 53 snaps.

-Jalyx Hunt: 63 percent – 43 snaps.

-Campbell 50 percent – 34 snaps (10 of them on the edge).

-Smith 28 percent – 19 snaps.

-Graham 15 percent – 10 snaps.

“I feel like I’m in my groove and doing a lot of extra,” Graham told reporters in Green Bay. “(Monday), I didn’t expect to play much at all. It was just getting out there, getting that adrenaline going a little bit as we just keep building because we’re in it for the long haul.”

The long haul will likely continue to include a role for Graham, maybe even one that builds as the weeks go on, and it’s a rotation that the veteran, who played in his 207th career game, thinks will work itself out.

“It can work as long we just keep building and not worry about the stuff we can’t control,” he said. “If you didn’t get something this week, or whatever, the stats this week, but we got the win, well, next week you never know. It could be you.

“We have a bunch of dawgs on our team, so we want to make sure we manage all the different emotions that come up. Of course, you want to go out there and play well, especially when you win. You don’t want to go out there trying to fight and push for plays, because that’s when you open up other things. You have to let it come to you. I thought we did a good job.”

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