For all the praise heaped on Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman for his dealmaking and draft acumen in recent years, it’s safe to say we’ve discovered his kryptonite — anything to do with edge rushers.
Roseman’s ability — or lack thereof — to spot talent at the position was in the spotlight after the Eagles lost their sixth straight game on Sunday to the lowly Washington Commanders, and edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who the Eagles jumped through hoops to trade for and retain this offseason.
The Eagles gave up a pair of 3rd-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to the Minnesota Vikings for Greenard in April and signed him to a 4-year, $98 million contract extension — a deal that included $50 million in guaranteed money.
Greenard missed almost the entire offseason, all of training camp, all of the preseason and the fist three regular-season games with a pectoral muscle injur and has just 2 tackles and zero sacks in five games.
“Jonathan Greenard is a lemon,” Philly Nation wrote on its official X account on Sunday. “Absolute bum.”
“Jonathan Greenard has 40 pass rush snaps in the last three games,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ryan Fowler wrote on his offical X account on Sunday. “He has a single QB pressure in that span. One.”
“The Eagles traded two 3rds AND gave Jonathan Greenard $98 million,” Eagle Times wrote on its official X account on Sunday. “Through 8 games: 5 games played, 0 sacks, 1 pressure on his last 40 pass-rush snaps. Howie Roseman passed on Jaelan Phillips for THIS. Worse than Reagor over Jefferson?”
Roseman famously drafted wide receiver Jalen Reagor over pereniall NFL All-Pro
Eagles Edge Rusher Misfires Part I: 2023 NFL Draft
If we are looking at recent history, the Eagles’ problems at edge rusher started in the 2023 NFL Draft, where Roseman took undersized but speedy Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. in the 1st round (No. 30 overall).
Smith has underwhelmed consistently throughout his career and it’s worth pointing out that if the Eagles were scouting edge rushers — which they obviously were at that point — then they passed on a pair of Pro Bowlers in Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu and Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Byron Young.
Eagles Edge Rusher Misfires Part II: Bryce Huff
While there’s some case to be made for Smith, there’s no defense of Roseman signing free-agent edge rusher Bryce Huff to a 3-year, $51.1 million free-agent contract before the 2024 season instead of giving that money to Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat, who came back on a 1-year, $10 million contract.
Huff alienated his teammates, battled through injuries and whined and complained to the point he was a healthy scratch for the playoffs as the Eagles rolled to a Super Bowl win.
The Eagles traded Huff to the 49ers after the season for pennies on the dollar, Sweat signed a 4-year, $76.4 million free-agent contract with the Cardinals and the edge rusher position has been a mess for the Eagles ever since.
Eagles’ $98 Million Free Agent Called Out as ‘Absolute Bum’