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The Philadelphia Eagles are just a few weeks away from training camp, and the biggest positional group question remains at edge rusher. Will Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt be able to replicate the success they had in the second half of last season? Will the vets signed this offseason provide enough depth, or should the Eagles look to bring in one final piece? There are still some good options out in the free agent market, and some of them would be a great fit. Today, RB discusses all of this and more!
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00:00The Philadelphia Eagles are a few weeks away from training camp and their biggest positional
00:05group question may have just found an answer as today we will talk about a few potential free
00:10agents that the birds could sign for one final boost as they head into camp we'll talk about
00:15it all and break it down but welcome in to A to Z Philly I'm RB and I want to start it off with
00:21an article that I came across today from Dave Zangaro over at NBC Philly he is doing a deep
00:27dive of each positional group and today he looked at the edge rusher room and obviously
00:33we have touched on this many times over the past couple of months I mean when you look
00:37at this roster as a whole they don't have many holes right like they're very well built
00:41we can go on and on and on but Howie Roseman has done a great job they are also very reliant
00:47on these young guys taking another leap in 2025 and when you look at the breakdown in this
00:53room if Nolan Smith and Jay Lux Hunt can take another leap they should be in a really good
00:58spot but based on how the rest of the roster is built and it feels like we're pretty confident
01:03in most positions right there's a couple of groups the safeties the corners we'll see what
01:07happens but overall edge rusher is where I'm looking at they might need a few more veterans
01:13at least one piece to help out so today we're going to look at a few guys that the Eagles could
01:18maybe pick up before or after camp but he goes ahead and he talks about some of these
01:23potential options at the edge rusher this year he doesn't even include Nolan Smith we know
01:28he's the guy after BG got hurt he was tremendous in the entire postseason then you have a guy
01:33like Jay Lux Hunt who didn't really play that much thought he was going to be redshirted last
01:37year then he starts to get more snaps after the BG injury he then emerges in the postseason
01:42as well played really good even in the Super Bowl so Jay Lux Hunt going into year two age
01:4624 we expect him to be the guy but as we know things can always be shaky from year
01:51to year you never know until you know so we'll see how Jay Lux Hunt plays out then you have
01:56guys you signed in a free agency on one-year deals Aziz Ojolari Josh Uche guys that are
02:01either trying to you know revive their career maybe coming off injuries and you know if these
02:06guys can give you solid production even as a rotational piece then it feels like you're
02:11pretty set but you don't know you just don't know I like that they're in their mid-20s
02:15we'll see how they play out then the Eagles draft Antoine Powell Ryland in the late rounds 23 years
02:21old so we'll see what he has to offer they bring back Patrick Johnson if KJ Hendry O'Shawn Mathis
02:27and a couple others as well but that is where the edge rusher room stands how confident do you feel
02:33about it I still think they could use some more veteran leadership in that room the whole agenda
02:39here is to get younger get athletic and you know have this firepower for the next couple years
02:44but it doesn't help to bring in another name especially if Ojolari and Uche can't live up to
02:50what you think they can so I went and checked out a bunch of the free agents that are still available
02:55a lot of guys right now who I think are in a spot where they're going to have to take a bit of a
03:00discount if they want to play football next year you know we saw this a lot last year the Justin
03:06Simmons of the world who by the way still unsigned as well we saw this with Judon he was traded late
03:11last year so you get to a point now where teams are trying to implement that model that the Eagles
03:16have utilized right and get younger and build through the draft and went on rookie contracts
03:21so you have the Judons of the world and the Von Millers who are still unsigned and looking for a home
03:26and although SpotTrack lists some of their contract values at like 10 to 15 per year I don't see it
03:33happening maybe they'll get lucky but when you look at the Eagles strategy Howie Roseman is not going to
03:39go out and trade for a guy or pay him 40 million a year right we've talked about those options in
03:43the last several weeks guys that are you know unhappy with their current situations but where
03:48he really could strike is by bringing in a player that will sign for you know four million dollars
03:53Eagles have the cap space to make it happen and you know more on like a prove it deal or maybe a
03:58training camp tryout or something like that so I want to go through a couple guys on this list that I
04:03think could be viable options to be that rotational depth piece that veteran piece and could maybe help
04:10impact some of the younger players the first we're going to take a look at is Kaiser White obviously
04:17played on the Eagles a couple years ago was on the Super Bowl team that lost former fourth round pick
04:22he has been playing with John Gann in the last couple years he went over there to Arizona with him
04:27after he left the Eagles and this is a guy that has consistently given you the same thing throughout his
04:32entire career just decent production right he's not great he's not terrible I feel like he had a career
04:38year with the Philadelphia Eagles even his 2021 season was really good with the Chargers and he's just
04:43been kind of floating along in the NFL you know give him a one two-year deal decent money and uh you know
04:49he'll be a consistent depth piece that's how I look at Kaiser White obviously a couple years older now
04:55he's 29 years old so he still remains unsigned and if you bring him in obviously more of a linebacker but
05:01you know who knows what this room is going to look like right Jihad Campbell still rehabbing an injury
05:06Nekobe Dean rehabbing an injury but Kaiser White has also shown occasionally that he can rush the
05:12quarterback as well pretty solid tackler in the open field and he's familiar with Philadelphia he
05:18really enjoyed playing here the Eagles just had to let him walk due to money right they also let TJ
05:23Edwards walk which sucked but I think Kaiser White would entertain a reunion here in Philadelphia plus
05:29he was born in PA as well the second guy on this list that I think would be interesting and I know
05:34a lot of people will probably disagree is Matt Judon he is going on 33 years old nine years of experience
05:41had some really stellar years with the Patriots and he was traded late last year to the Atlanta Falcons
05:47after a you know contract dispute Patriots didn't want to extend them he said okay trade me and I think
05:54they even got a couple picks back for him late but Matt Judon went to the Atlanta Falcons who had a
05:59disastrous year didn't really put much on tape still had some decent stats but if we look at Matt
06:04Judon former fifth round pick he was drafted by Baltimore played several seasons there then really
06:10came into his own here in New England 12 and a half sacks 15 and a half then he had four and then he was
06:15traded to the Falcons last year he had five and a half sacks only 25 tackles dealt with some injuries
06:21and a lot of people said it yep look at that Matt Judon completely fell off maybe you still believe that
06:27right and spot track projects him to get like 10 to 15 million a year I don't see any way that'll
06:31happen I think at this point you have to bring him in on like a one-year five million dollar deal or
06:36less but I went and read this article about Matt Judon and I didn't realize you know how bad the
06:42situation was in Atlanta we've talked about some other guys even like Kyle Pitts earlier in the
06:46offseason but look at what Matt Judon said about Atlanta this past year he was asked if bad luck
06:52played a role in his precipitous sack decrease with the Falcons quote hell nah if you go look at
06:58the film I dropped into coverage on 60 percent of the plays it is hard to get a pick and a sack
07:04on the same play so Matt Judon obviously not happy with his role he was dropped back into coverage a lot
07:11we saw similar things with Josh Sweat and some others back when Matt Patricia came in and all that
07:17stuff during that tumultuous year and it really can make a huge impact on a player in terms of the
07:23scheme you know and how they're utilized we saw that this year with Vic Fangio and how he was really
07:28able to get the best out of some of these guys so when you look at Matt Judon I mean sure he may be
07:34at the end of his rope but he is an experienced veteran he knows how to play the position he can still
07:40get to the quarterback still had five and a half sacks last year when asked about his chances of
07:44returning to Atlanta he said it's unlikely especially after the team went and invested
07:48in younger edge rushers so obviously a divorce is going to happen there and he is going to sign
07:53elsewhere so could he be a good instrumental piece in the locker room absolutely and this guy has made
07:59his money over the years on getting to the quarterback and last but not least and I know people are going
08:03to be opposed to this but Jadeveon Clowney 32 years old going on 33 as well he has played 11 years
08:11in the NFL lastly with the Carolina Panthers he probably will get the most money out of any of
08:17these guys and I do think it is a long shot it would certainly take a lot of convincing for him
08:22to come to Philadelphia and I know people don't like him because of the Wentz thing and he's been a dirty
08:27player over the years and there's been a lot of back and forth with the career of Clowney honestly it
08:32feels like he's been in the league for like 30 years like every year we're like oh Jadeveon Clowney's still
08:37there remember when he was the first overall pick in the draft had a little bit of a slow start but
08:42you can't deny his production even last year at 32 years old he had five and a half sacks on a
08:49terrible Carolina team the year before nine and a half sacks with the Baltimore Ravens a couple years
08:55before that nine sacks with Cleveland he is a pure vet he knows how to play the position he knows how to get
09:02to the quarterback pretty good run stuffer and just you know plays with that physicality that the Eagles
09:08really thrived on last year maybe he's not a typical Vic Fangio guy especially with the Eagles usually only
09:15rushing four guys on the defensive end but overall I mean this guy's a menace and you know as a veteran
09:21now later in his career I think he could teach a few things to these young guys even if you don't like
09:27him he has shown that he is willing to wait last year he also signed late I believe and Carolina gave
09:33him a shot and he went out there and played pretty well we even talked about him at the last trade
09:37deadline as a potential piece that they could acquire especially when Brandon Graham went down
09:42so Jadeveon Clowney is also an option I think he'll probably sign for more than five million probably
09:48like ten or close to it and I think a team will get desperate and go out and give him money so I think
09:54it's unlikely but I still would evaluate that option but those are my thoughts there's still a
10:00couple other guys out here close to 30 years old that I think could be potential options but right
10:05now the market seems dried up teams seem to be set on trying to get younger building through the draft
10:10and moving forward that way just when you look at the Eagles roster they have so many different options
10:15and ways they can go and I do think the edge rusher position is one to keep our eyes on as we move
10:21into training camp into the preseason and into the season so go ahead give me your thoughts down
10:27below what do you think the Eagles should do do they need any more help should they hit the pause
10:32button and wait for now what do you think Nolan Smith and Jalex Hunt can do this season give me your
10:37thoughts down below as always appreciate everybody for tapping in be sure to like comment and subscribe
10:42and as always I'll catch you on the next one
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