We all know that Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman loves to add big-name talent to his roster. Whenever trade speculation arises — like this year with Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons — every prognosticator seems to tab Philly as a suitor by default.
It turns out the Eagles were actually in on a potential blockbuster deal for Parsons this summer, which suits Roseman to a tee. He’s spent the past few seasons locking up superstar talent on offense while building on defense through the draft, but plans change when a potential game-changing pass rusher in his prime suddenly becomes available.
Roseman has plenty of small ball in his repertoire, too. He’s become known for his savvy, low-cost, high-reward moves as much as anything. During last year’s Super Bowl run, the Eagles got key contributions from guys like linebacker Zack Baun, right guard Mekhi Becton, and linebacker Oren Burks; all of them played on one-year contracts worth under $4 million, according to Spotrac.
The Eagles and their fans always expect a ton from established stars like Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Jalen Carter… and the list goes on. But sharpening the edges of the roster has long been a Roseman specialty, and through the first month of 2025, the Eagles have three clear candidates to make this year’s list of unlikely heroes.
3 low-key Philadelphia Eagles free agent signings who are already moving the needle in 2025
Pass rusher Joshua Uche
The Eagles took a flier on Uche, a former second-round pick of Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots, on a modest one-year deal worth up to $1.9 million. The 27-year-old arrived with some upside as a potential replacement for Bryce Huff, as Uche spent the majority of his tenure in Foxboro as a situational pass rusher.
So far, the returns have been way more than what the Eagles bargained for.
According to Pro Football Focus, Uche has been Philadelphia’s most efficient player on defense — across the board. He leads the unit with an overall grade of 87.4, notching 10 total pressures in just 57 true pass-rush sets; by comparison, Huff only managed 23 pressures over the entire 2024 season.
As expected, the Eagles are deploying Uche strategically. As an undersized outside linebacker, he can be a liability in obvious rushing situations — but he’s probably performed above expectation in that area, as well, with five run stuffs and zero missed tackles through four games, per PFF.
Philadelphia has needed some extra juice with Nolan Smith Jr. on injured reserve, and Uche has delivered so far.
EDGE Za'Darius Smith
Roseman and the Eagles probably hoped Azeez Ojulari’s name would land in this spot, but the 33-year-old Smith has been a value-add since arriving in Philadelphia on Sept. 5.
Smith already ranks seventh on the Eagles in QB pressures with six, and he’s only played in three games. He’s also been a factor in the run game with four run stuffs, per PFF.
Andrew Mukuba and Za'Darius Smith get home for the sack 😤
PHIvsKC on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/aQZBtnI7DN
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
Philly pivoted to Smtih on another prove-it deal for one year with $4.25 million in guarantees. EDGE depth was a clear roster need entering Week 1 of the regular season, and Smith could be a boon to that group going forward, filling the veteran leadership role left by the now retired Brandon Graham.
TE Cameron Latu
The Eagles took an early flier on Latu at the beginning of the year, signing the former San Francisco 49ers third-round pick to a reserve/futures contract in January. They wound up waiving the 25-year-old on roster cut-down day, before signing him back on the practice squad.
Latu was elevated to the active roster ahead of Week 2, with top tight end Dallas Goedert battling some injuries. He’s since carved out a key, underrated role. Per PFF, Latu has logged 53 special teams snaps over Philly’s last three games, and has been the team’s highest-graded performer with an overall rating of 90.8.
Latu hasn’t been much of a factor on offense. He’s played just 20 total snaps and hasn’t yet seen a target from quarterback Jalen Hurts. But he’s been a better blocker than the struggling Grant Calcaterra, and his role could continue to grow as the season wears on.
Read more:3 Philadelphia Eagles quarter-season overreactions ahead of Week 5
During their 2024 run, Burks rose from core special teamer to impact middle linebacker following the playoff-ending knee injury to Nakobe Dean; Latu could forge a similar path if Goedert once again struggles to stay on the field.