It only took one game for the Philadelphia Eagles to address their pass rush, as the front office acted quickly to sign former Detroit Lions veteran Za'Darius Smith. Smith and the Lions discussed a reunion several times, but money was a clear obstacle between the two after Detroit released him in March to save cap space.

The Eagles were more than willing to pay Smith what he wanted, after it became clear their pass rush wasn't anywhere close to what they expected. Philadelphia didn't record a single sack in its season-opening win over Dallas. The pass rush is built on the interior with All-Pro Jalen Carter ... who didn't play a snap Thursday night after being ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott.

Edge rusher was an evident weakness for the Eagles all summer, as the front office expected unrealistic growth from 2024 third-round pick Jalyx Hunt and Pro Bowl-level play from Nolan Smith. Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari were signed to one-year contracts, but there wasn't enough depth to back up Smith and Hunt in case the two players didn't significantly progress. 

The writing was on the wall before the season opener even began, and then Ojulari was a healthy scratch prior to Thursday's game against the Cowboys. The Eagles only kept three pass-rushers on the 53-man roster active for the game: Smith, Hunt and Uche. All three held their own against the Cowboys, but none significantly came close to making a major impact. 

This is where the signing of Smith looms large for a pass rush that needed significant help. The Eagles are getting that with Smith. 

Proven production

The Eagles are getting a bonafide pass rusher with had more than one good year in the NFL. Smith is a three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher who has three double-digit sack seasons, and he has continued a high level of production into his 30s.

Over the last two seasons, Smith has racked up 123 pressures, 14.5 sacks and a pressure rate of 16.2%. That's high-level production the Eagles were lacking in their pass rush, a proven veteran who can consistently get to the quarterback. Smith played for both the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions last season, totaling 63 pressures, 9.0 sacks and a 15.9% pressure rate. 

Keep in mind when Smith was in Detroit, he was the top pass-rusher on the outside with Aidan Hutchinson out for the season. He can carry a pass rush if needed, which is what this unit lacked heading into 2025. 

Overreactions from Cowboys-Eagles game: Jalen Carter deserves suspension? Dak Prescott facing discipline too?

Jeff Kerr

Much-needed depth

Quite frankly, the Eagles' pass rush wasn't up to snuff against the Cowboys. Smith and Hunt are starting-caliber players, but the Eagles were asking too much of two players who are both under 25 years old with a combined 9.0 career sacks to their name. That's a lot of pressure for two young talents without much depth behind them.

And what if Smith and/or Hunt got injured? The pass rush was already thin with Ojulari having a poor camp (and being a healthy scratch) and Uche better off in a rotational role. Ogbo Okoronkwo was also a healthy scratch on Thursday, showing how the Eagles felt about the five outside pass rushers they had.

Eagles outside pass rushers -- pressures/sacks vs. Cowboys

With Smith in the mix, there's less pressure on Nolan Smith and Hunt. Uche can thrive in a rotational role, as well as Ojulari in limited snaps if he sticks around. Don't forget the Eagles can have rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell rush the passer in some subpackages as well. There will also be more favorable matchups on the edge with Smith in the fold, as Hunt and Nolan Smith will benefit. 

The Eagles may not be done here, but the pass rush is way deeper than it was 24 hours ago. 

Frees up the interior

The Eagles' pass rush was built by interior pressure, which was made clear by this front office in how it felt about its depth at defensive tackle. The player who makes this pass rush go is Carter, who racked up exactly zero snaps against the Cowboys because of the aforementioned ejection.

Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo each played more than 87% of the snaps and held their own, combining for five pressures on 62 pass-rushing snaps. Davis isn't a player who plays that many snaps in a game, and Ojomo has never come close to playing that; both were expected to be rotational pieces who could be fresh late in games. Carter is the one who plays the overwhelming majority of the snaps amongst the defensive tackles. 

Davis almost had a sack on Prescott while Ojomo had a quarterback hit. Byron Young had 10 pass-rushing snaps, but had one of the biggest plays of the game with his forced fumble on Miles Sanders. The Eagles are deep at defensive tackle; it's arguably their best position when Carter is on the field. 

With Smith in the fold on the outside, defenses will have to account for him. This frees up Carter, who still commands attention, but Ojomo and Davis will also see a lot of one-on-one looks. Defensive tackle is a major strength for this team, and it gets even stronger with Smith's presence on the outside.