The Philadelphia Eagles bolstered one of the strongest parts of their defense this spring with a trade for veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. The 29-year-old is aiming to bounce back this fall after a disappointing 2025 campaign from a statistical standpoint.
To achieve that, Greenard is going to follow the lead of the other stars along the Eagles defensive front. He made that clear to reporters last week when he discussed how he’s thought about playing with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter this fall.
“I think about it all the time,” Greenard on June 10 at minicamp, via Eagles reporter Jeff Skversky. “It’s going to be fun, man, because those are two guys who are selfless but also understand how much impact they can have on the game.
Greenard then shared the message he delivered to Davis and Carter after joining the Eagles.
“I just told them when I got here, ‘Look, I feed off of y’all. I’m just going to let y’all do y’all thing’ and I’ll eventually, obviously, read and see how they like to play versus certain opponents.
“‘But I’m not here to slow y’all down. I’m just going to be here and feed off y’all and obviously add to it as well, which I’ve already started.'”
New Eagles Edge Rusher Jonathan Greenard Addresses Playing With Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis
GettyInterior defensive linemen Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter will be back together for the fourth consecutive season this fall.
Greenard is joining a Philadelphia edge rushing room that also has Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. The Eagles added free agents Arnold Ebiketie and, more recently, A.J. Epenesa to the edge room.
But Greenard strongly suggested for the Eagles front seven, it all starts with Carter and Davis.
“Just knowing that those two guys can take and dominate an entire game, change a whole game plan, change a whole protection for slides and stuff like that,” Greenard added on June 10. “Having that as an advantage is going to be great as an edge guy.
“Every edge guy will tell you that, you’ve got two guys like that inside pushing the pocket and causing disruption, makes our job a whole lot easier.”
Greenard will essentially replace trade deadline acquisition Jaelan Phillips, who the Eagles weren’t able to retain in NFL free agency.
It cost the Eagles a third-round pick to acquire Greenard. But he’s far cheaper than Phillips with arguably just as much short-term upside.
With the benefit of playing alongside Carter and Davis, it’s not a stretch to expect Greenard to experience a much better 2026 season.
Expectations for Greenard in First Eagles Season
GettyNew Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Jonathan Greenard shared the message he delivered to interior defensive linemen Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
In 2023 and 2024, Greenard posted back-to-back seasons with at least 12 sacks. During 2024, the edge rusher made his first Pro Bowl with 18 tackles for loss, 22 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and three pass defenses to go with 12 sacks while playing for the Minnesota Vikings.
But Greenard had just three sacks with 10 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits during 2025.
However, there’s reason to believe Greenard will bounce back in 2026.
Yes, he will benefit from playing with Carter and Davis. Greenard, though, posted superior analytics, registering a better pressure rate, win rate, quick pressure percentage and run stop rate, in 2025 than the prior year.
Greenard was arguably better last season. He just didn’t take down the quarterback as often. Greenard also dealt with a shoulder injury, which sidelined him for five games.
The veteran edge defender could have an opportunity for better analytics this fall. If the sacks return, he might be due for a really big season in Philadelphia.
Eagles’ Jonathan Greenard Sends Strong Message to Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis