Getty Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat is officially questionable for Week 10 with a concussion.
It’s easy to look at the stat sheet and pick the best pass-rushing team in the NFL. It’s quite another thing to hear a player come out and declare it on the third day of camp. When Josh Sweat was asked if the Philadelphia Eagles had the best defensive line in football, the answer was written all over his face. Of course, they do.
“No, c’mon man, after what we’ve done?,” Sweat told reporters. “Some people will tell you otherwise but no, no … we the most stacked D-line for sure.”
It’s tough to argue Sweat’s point. The Eagles were head and shoulders above the pack in 2022 after registering a franchise-record 70 sacks, which was a whopping 15 sacks higher than the next team on the list. Their defensive line had four individual players get double-digit sacks, including Sweat who did it in 16 games. He intends on letting that number climb and climb and climb. He’s added at least two sacks per year since getting a full-time role in 2019.
“I don’t want to have no down years,” Sweat said. “I guess the way to show it is on paper, so for me, I just want to improve every single year. No backtracking or down years, just keep going.”
Javon Hargrave is the only one missing from last year’s group, although he’ll be replaced by the combination of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter at defensive tackle. Sweat, who has 28.5 sacks in his last 62 games, was pacing for more sacks before a scary neck injury shut him down until the playoffs. Now he’ll set his sights on a new career high in 2023, maybe the bendy defender can get up to 15 or 20 sacks.
“[I feel] a lot stronger, a lot faster,” Sweat said. “Just feel better in general.”
The 26-year-old wouldn’t reveal if he was getting ready to inject any new pass-rushing moves into his arsenal — yes, he was asked and his “ghost move” keeps getting better — and he sure as hell wouldn’t put a ceiling on his career.
“I ain’t got one for real,” Sweat said when asked about a ceiling. “Every year, every stat, just gotta be a little bit better for me, so wherever I can find that edge is how I’m going to approach my days. It starts here [at camp], too, I’m going to do better here, too.”
Jordan Mailata vs. Josh Sweat
Jordan Mailata was walking off the field as Josh Sweat was giving his post-practice press conference so naturally the one-time rugby player jumped into the scrum. The question was in regard to who has more wins in their 1-on-1 battles so far at camp … Mailata put it at an even 50/50 split, but Sweat had a slightly different take: “I’ll say 60/40. Me.”
Jordan Mailata stayed after practice and signed autographs for every military member who wanted one, including a football for a mother asking for something to send to her son in Iraq. It was Military Appreciation Day. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Then, Mailata shouted out Sweat’s new and improved bullrush which was something the Pro Bowl defensive end didn’t want out there. “Get outta here, bro,” Sweat said, laughing. Seriously, though, what has Sweat been working on to improve his game?
“I don’t want to give away my strategy,” Sweat said. “I want to try and be able to do everything because there’s always a situation for a certain move depending on the down and distance. I try not to limit myself. I try to make sure I have everything in my back pocket if I need it.”
The one thing everybody wants in his back pocket is a Pro Bowl nod. Sweat made it as a first alternate in 2021 after Nick Bosa pulled out. He stated a compelling case to make it outright last season, but it seems he was the victim of a numbers crunch. The Eagles had eight players voted in.
Make Kelly Green Permanent Jersey
The Eagles rolled out their Kelly green throwbacks with a multi-faceted marketing plan. Leaked image or not, fans ate it up (literally, people were planning to tailgate at 4 a.m. fon Monday or the Pro Shop opening at 9 a.m.). The new alternate uniforms are perfect in every way and some players think the team should adopt them for good. That would mean ditching midnight green.
“The Kelly green? They need to be like our permanent,” Josh Sweat said. “You know, we can just wear the black as an alternate … but the Kelly green, that needs to be the main one.”
