The offseason was marked by an avalanche of players departing from the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles' roster.
Philadelphia's defense took the brunt of the hits, with the defensive line first losing Josh Sweat and Milton Williams. At linebacker, Oren Burks departed for the Cincinnati Bengals. The secondary had the most movement with C.J. Gardner-Johnson getting traded to the Houston Texans, Avonte Maddox signing with the Detroit Lions, and the team releasing Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
Losing Sweat to the Arizona Cardinals meant that the Eagles lost their sack leader from 2024 after making eight. The Eagles will have to turn to another young defender to take the crown and become the team's top pass rusher in 2025.
Who will the Eagles turn to replace Sweat as the 2025 sack leader?
FanSided writer Sayre Bedinger's latest article on Tuesday predicted each NFL team's sack leaders in 2025. The Eagles will have a new one as Bedinger has Nolan Smith Jr. earning the title.
"It’s year three for Nolan Smith with the Philadelphia Eagles, and this is his best chance yet to be the team leader in sacks. Josh Sweat is off to the Arizona Cardinals. Milton Williams is off to the New England Patriots. You’re going to have to deal with Jalen Carter likely racking up sacks as well, but Smith is going to be that top dog off the edge for Philly this year and I think he’s ready to step up as this team’s best edge rusher."
Smith is entering his third season in the NFL after the Eagles selected him late in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Last year, he took on an elevated role with Brandon Graham and Bryce Huff's injuries and made the most of it.
Smith finished second on the team behind Sweat in sacks with 6.5. He also had 42 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss, two pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble in 16 games.
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The Eagles have had a strong run in finding defensive linemen talent as Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo are all projected 2025 starters and have been selected in the NFL Draft by Philadelphia since 2022. Smith and Carter were both selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Despite not having any players with 10 or more sacks, the Eagles were tied for 13th in team sacks with 41. Smith could change that with a big third season as one of the leading pass rushers in Philadelphia.