Will this Eagles’ edge rusher become a Pro Bowl player again under Vic Fangio? (2024)

This past offseason was a tenuous one for Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat. After coming off a season where he started strong, but as the team was in the middle of its collapse and Sean Desai was replaced as the defensive play-caller with Matt Patricia, so did Sweat’s numbers. Sweat was also mentioned as a possible candidate to be traded before he and the Eagles agreed to a restructured one-year deal that will net him $10 million guaranteed and could reach $13 million after incentives. He also changed his jersey number from 94 to 19.

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Facing the prospect of entering free agency at the end of next season, Sweat will try to rebound and improve his numbers to not only increase his value on the open market but to return to the Pro Bowl, an honor he received after the 2021 season when he had 7.5 sacks. Sweat could have a chance to do so with Vic Fangio, who is now calling and designing the schemes as the defensive coordinator.

Sweat, 27, is still at the age where he can still have a significant impact as a pass rusher, coming off the edge quickly from the quarterback’s blindside. In 2022, Sweat set a career-high in sacks (11) with five hurries, 27 pressures, 48 tackles, and 15 tackles for loss. Those numbers dipped in 2023.

Last season, offenses came in with two primary objectives: Get the ball out quickly to neutralize the Eagles’ pass rush and attack the back seven, mainly in the area between 10 and 20 yards downfield. Once teams succeeded with that formula, edge rushers such as Sweat were less effective, as shown in the numbers. Sweat obtained his six sacks before Week 9 but did not record one after that point. He also had 14 hurries and 37 pressures.

Sweat was still effective against offensive tackles. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), among the Eagles who had a minimum of 100 pass rushes, Sweat finished third in pass rush win rate (14.2%), trailing only defensive end Brandon Graham (19.5%) and defensive tackle Jalen Carter (17%).

When the Eagles’ defense obtained its 70 sacks in 2022 and finished first in pass defense, the pass rush and coverage were symbiotic, with the secondary limiting the effectiveness of receivers, allowing the pass rush to get home to the quarterback. The Eagles have focused several significant assets to address the secondary over the last two seasons, using their first two draft picks on Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, a 2023 fourth-round selection on Kelee Ringo, and signed Isaiah Rodgers Sr., all of whom are in the conversation for seeing significant playing time this season.

With Fangio liking to disguise his coverages and mixing looks of zone and man coverage, if a quarterback has to hold on to the ball for just one second, enough time to make for Sweat to make an impact. These strategies could significantly enhance Sweat’s performance and the team’s defensive dynamics.

Sweat should also benefit from the continued development of Carter, who could draw a lot of attention inside and force quarterbacks from the comfort of the pocket and into Sweat’s direction. Sweat will also need defensive end Bryce Huff to play well and have the same impact linebacker Haason Reddick had on the edge before he was traded to the Jets. If Huff struggles, offensive lines can shift the line toward Sweat and focus on stopping him with tackle-tight end double teams or see even more chips from running backs leaving the backfield and heading out into a route.

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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.