Eagles Pass Rush Thrives Against New Faces

The Philadelphia pass rushers were happy to get a break from Lane Johnson and Co. on Tuesday against New England.

Eagles edge defender Nolan Smith / John McMullen/Eagles SI

Reports from Foxborough indicated a strong pass rush from the Eagles’ defensive front on Tuesday, something that hasn’t exactly been a consistent weapon for Vic Fangio’s defense in intrasquad practices.

A joint practice session against the New England Patriots meant the Eagles’ pass rushers weren’t dealing with Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, and Landon Dickerson et al, however.

Multiple reporters noted Pats No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye under siege and being “sacked” on five consecutive dropbacks with somewhat embattled Eagles' edge rushers Bryce Huff and Nolan Smith getting home against tackles not named Johnson and Mailata.

Second-year defensive tackle Moro Ojomo also got to Maye and blitzing linebacker Nakobe Dean closed out the dominating rep set with two consecutive rushes finding home.

Huff and Smith have felt the sting of Fangio's unflinching honesty this summer.

Huff, the Eagles' top free-agent signing from a financial perspective, was called a work in progress by Fangio earlier in camp while Smith was the latest to get the backhanded compliment treatment from the veteran defensive coordinator on Sunday.

"He's fast and athletic," Fangio said of Smith. "When he gets to use that part of his game, he excels. He's got to be more physical at the point [of attack]. When he has to pass rush against tackles and wrestle with them, got to be able to get something done."

The total unofficial number of plays blown dead due to the Eagles' pass rush against the Pats on Tuesday reached double-digits, perhaps an indication that all those lost reps against All-Pro caliber offensive linemen quickly turn into productive ones against pedestrian ones.

“Felt good,” veteran defensive end Brandon Graham said when asked about the performance. “I know we got some stuff to work on but you right. I think the guys were focused. The energy was great. We came out and you see this crowd, definitely got us into it. Just trying to make sure we get better from the film.”

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