Brandon Grahams season-ending triceps injury (career-ending?). raises questions about how the Philadelphia Eagles will move forward at the edge defender position. Graham ranks second among Philly pass rushers in snaps played this season (28.3 per game).

We previously looked at some outside free agent options what the team could think about. Now let’s take stock of the internal options.

EDGERUSHERS ON THE ROSTER

JOSH SWEATS

The sweat also came against the Los Angeles Rams. It is unclear whether his injury will prevent him from playing.

Sweat leads all Eagles edge rushers in snaps played and total sacks this season. He averages 39 snaps per game and he plays pretty consistently around that number; his season low is 35 and his season high is 45.

What you’re reading here is that the Eagles don’t want to break a sweat like they did last year. But maybe they should rely on him a little more now.

NOLAN SMITH

The 2023 first-round pick has made strides of late with 3.5 sacks and six quarterback hits in his last seven games. Smith is inconsistent as a pass rusher, but he can provide some splash plays in addition to setting the edge as a run defender.

The Eagles should increase Smith’s workload a bit in hopes he can continue to improve.

JALYX HUNT

Hunt saw 25 defensive snaps in Week 10, one game after Bryce Huff suffered his wrist injury. But then Hunt didn’t make a single defensive play in Week 11. Maybe the coaches didn’t like what they saw? Huff’s injury forced the Eagles to rely on Hunt again in Week 12. And now the team really has no choice but to rely on the 2024 third-round pick as a rotation contributor.

When Hunt was drafted, it seemed like he would need a full year to see meaningful playing time. But he turned out to be more advanced than expected in the summer. What Hunt lacks in experience, he may be able to make up for in athletic tools.

EDGE RUSHER ON INJURED RESERVE

BRYCE HUFF

The Eagles placed Huff, who underwent wrist surgery on Thursday, on injured reserve before Week 12. He will therefore be eligible to return to the field once the Week 16 matchup against the Washington Commanders takes place.

It’s unclear if Huff will actually be healthy enough to play at that point. And if so, Huff hasn’t really played well this season… even before his injury.

GET CREATIVE

ZACK BAUN

Tough to move Baun out of his inside linebacker role when he legitimately plays like an All-Pro at that position. But the Eagles may need him to contribute some additional plays as an edge defender. He clearly has experience in that role. The Eagles could sign Oren Burks or Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (assuming the former is more likely) could slot Dean next to Nakobe to free up Baun as a pass rusher.

MILTON WILLIAMS

Williams has versatility at defensive tackle/defensive end. He’s done his best work as an interior defender, but he could probably get some snaps as an edge defender. The Eagles will have more DT depth to lean on if Williams plays more DE.

Practice squad

TARRON JACKSON

Placing BG on injured reserve and signing Jackson to the roster seems like a logical move. The Eagles’ 2021 sixth-round pick has just one career sack in 308 career snaps played, so he’s far from a proven commodity.

But Jackson flashed a bit this summer. He had one sack, two TFLs and two QB hits in the preseason. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus had Jackson as their seventh-highest rated edge rusher of the preseason.

The Eagles waived Jackson in part due to a numbers crunch. He caught on with the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad and was named to their roster before being waived a month later. Jackson returned to Philadelphia earlier this month.

The Eagles could give Jackson a shot and see if he can contribute in a rotation capacity.

OCHAUN MATHIS

The Eagles didn’t sign Mathis to the practice squad until Friday. My guess is they don’t plan on making him part of their edge defender rotation immediately. But it is worth noting that he is nearby.