Philadelphia Eagles edge defender Za'Darius Smith unexpectedly announced his retirement on Instagram on Monday morning. He was playing in his 11th NFL season, with previous stops in Baltimore, Green Bay, Minnesota, Cleveland, and Detroit. He turned 33 in September.
After the Eagles' Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Smith signed a one-year deal with the Eagles that was worth a little over $5 million. In five games (two starts), Smith led Eagles edge defenders with 1.5 sacks. He also had 10 tackles. Smith only played 17 snaps in the Eagles' loss to the Giants Thursday night:
• Week 2: 20 (33%)
• Week 3: 24 (36%)
• Week 4: 36 (50%)
• Week 5: 34 (46%)
• Week 6: 17 (25%)
The Eagles were already thin on the edge, with Nolan Smith (triceps) and Ogbo Okoronkwo (triceps) both on injured reserve. The only healthy edge defenders on the roster now are Jalyx Hunt, Josh Uche, Azeez Ojulari, and Patrick Johnson.
Johnson is the only other edge defender on the team who has a sack, with just one.
It felt like a decent bet that the Eagles would make a trade for an edge defender prior to the trade deadline. Smith's abrupt retirement should accelerate their urgency in bringing in reinforcements.
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