Veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard might make his debut for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to look like the Greenard of old — at least not initially.
That was the essential message Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio delivered to reporters Wednesday.
“He’s definitely not ready for a full workload,” said Fangio, via The Athletic’s Zach Berman. “He’s not only coming off inactivity, he’s coming off an injury.
“His injury for a good bit — the first, I don’t know, four to six, seven weeks — he couldn’t do a whole lot of conditioning wise either. So yeah, he’s nowhere near ready for a full load.”
The Eagles acquired Greenard, along with a seventh-round pick on the second night of the 2026 NFL Draft. Philadelphia sent two third-round selections to the Minnesota Vikings to get Greenard, who was expected to be a key part of the Eagles defense this season.
In 2024, Greenard made the Pro Bowl with 12 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits. He also had four forced fumbles and three pass defenses.
Will Jonathan Greenard Play for Eagles in Week 3 Against Bears?
For fans who want to be positive, the good news is Greenard could be on the field in Week 3. The sooner that happens, the sooner the edge rusher can become himself again.
This week, he has an extra day to prepare, as the Eagles will visit the Bears on Monday Night Football.
But it’s pretty clear that the first time he dresses, Greenard won’t be able to play as much as he normally does. The Eagles will have to continue finding ways to win without the veteran a regular in the lineup.
Philadelphia acquired Greenard after seeing 2025 trade acquisition and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips leave in free agency to sign a massive deal with the Carolina Panthers. After remaining patient and signing a rotational edge rusher in Arnold Ebiketie during free agency, general manager Howie Roseman pulled the lever on the Greenard trade during the draft.
Then after acquiring him, the Eagles signed Greenard to a 4-year, $98 million contract. It’s a deal that doesn’t look great with Greenard not healthy.
Greenard is trying to recover from a pectoral muscle injury he sustained lifting weights during training camp. While a new injury, the edge rusher missed five games last season because of a shoulder issue. The two could be related.
The 29-year-old had back-to-back 12-sack campaigns in 2023 and 2024 but then had only three sacks in 12 games last season. His analytics, though, suggested he still had a strong 2025 and gave the Eagles confidence the sacks would return in 2026.
For that to happen now, Greenard has to get healthy and in shape.
Without Greenard, Ebiketie and A.J. Epenesa have played significantly more than what the Eagles expected before the season. The results have been mixed at best.
After two games, Philadelphia has three sacks, eight tackles for loss and five quarterback hits.
Eagles’ Vic Fangio Delivers Pessimistic Jonathan Greenard Update