Eagles Training Camp Preview: Hasson Reddick Headlines Deep Cast at EDGE

The Philadelphia Eagles are the deepest team in the NFL when it comes to edge rushers.

PHILADELPHIA - No NFL team is more gifted on the edge than the Philadelphia Eagles.

By adding the 30th overall pick in April’s draft, supremely athletic pass rusher Nolan Smith out of Georgia, to the trio of Hasson Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham, the Eagles virtually guaranteed that no opposing quarterback will ever have a sense of comfort moving forward into the 2023 season.

It’s unlikely Philadelphia will match the franchise record of 70 sacks last season, the third-best mark in league history and a number which included 16 from Reddick, who finished fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, and 11 each from Sweat, 26, and Graham, 35. That said, the overall pressure could grow with the addition of Smith, who is eerily similar to Reddick, 28, in that he’s undersized at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds but widely athletic with a motor that never stops.

Philadelphia likes to come at opposing offenses in waves from up front and entered the 2022-23 season with the plan being Derek Barnett, 27, as the fourth man but the 2017 first-round pick tore his ACL Week 1 in Detroit.

The Eagles tried replacing Barnett in-house with Patrick Johnson, 25, before making a near-deadline deal for veteran Robert Quinn, which also didn’t work out.

Reddick was named a second-team All-Pro after finishing second in the league with his career-high 16 sacks (including a league-best five strip-sacks). The 11 put together by both Sweat and Graham were also career-highs with Sweat further buttressing that with a team-leading 15 tackles for loss.

"As crazy as it sounds, I feel as if there’s still more levels for me to tap into," Reddick told the Philadelphia Inquirer at his youth football camp. "I’m extremely excited and looking to build on another great year. I want to continue to progress on what I did and what the team did last year."

The Philadelphia defensive philosophy uses multiple fronts with the 50 looks, including two overhang players, and the 40 setups using what would look to the naked eye as more traditional defensive ends.

From a teaching standpoint, the defensive ends (Sweat, Graham, Barnett, Tarron Jackson, 25, and Matt Leo, 31) and the SAM linebackers (Reddick, Smith, and Johnson) are split off into the same room with position coach Jeremiah Washburn.

The team is so deep that Barnett, 27, is almost surely a trade candidate this summer after he proves he’s healthy enough to go from his knee injury, and second-year SAM prospect Kyron Johnson was moved to off-ball linebacker to try to find a 53-man roster spot for what could be a key special teams player.

Depth Chart:

Left edge - Hasson Reddick; Brandon Graham; Nolan Smith; Matt Leo

Right edge - Josh Sweat, Derek Barnett; Patrick Johnson; Tarron Jackson

WHAT’S CHANGED: The age and upside of Smith replace Quinn, once an elite pass rusher who was running on fumes due to a balky knee after being acquired from the Bears. Kyron Johnson moved to off-ball LB in order to give him a better opportunity to make the initial 53-man roster.

COACHING: The son of famed pass-rushing guru and wide-9 devotee Jim Washburn, who was once the Eagles’ defensive line coach in 2011-12, Jeremiah Washburn has a dual coaching/scouting background.

He joined Philadelphia in the coach Doug Pederson era as sort of a liaison between the scouring department and the coaching staff, helping both. When Nick Sirianni and Jonathan Gannon arrived in 2021 Washburn was kept on as a senior defensive assistant before shifting to his current role last season when Gannon was given the talent (think Reddick and Jordan Davis) to install his Vic Fangio-inspired multiple fronts better.

At that point, the decision was made to split the defensive front into two position rooms with Tracy Rocker handling the interior players.

THE CEILING: Reddick and Sweat are in their primes and the pitch count that kept Graham humming in his mid-30s coming off an Achilles injury continues to work its magic while the rookie Smith creates headaches in a limited role as he gets ramped up.

"I feel great and I feel like the best is yet to come," Sweat told PhiladelphiaEagles.com. "You figure this game out after you've been here for some time and you know what you have to do to take your game to new levels. I know it's being cliché, but it's about being consistent and building off what usually works for you. Whatever you're good at, just get better at that and stick with it."

THE LONGSHOT: Barnett is the forgotten man because he’s always been regarded as an underachiever in Philadelphia and now he’s coming off an injury. That said, the Tennessee product is quite the insurance policy this summer. If the team remains healthy on the edge, Howie Roseman will pivot from a position of strength and almost surely be able to get something of value for Barnett, a solid player at an important position.

-WHO STAYS/GOES: Reddick, Sweat, Graham, and Smith are locked in and Barnett will not be released so Patrick Johnson’s 53-man roster hopes are likely tied to a potential Barnett trade.

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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen