With Ogbo Okoronkwo’s injury, an already thin group of Eagles edge rushers suffers another blow
Okoronkwo was active Sunday with Nolan Smith (triceps) on injured reserve. He played just four snaps before being knocked out of the victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Eagles edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo is believed to have suffered a torn triceps, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported Monday morning, another blow to a position group that already wasn’t the team’s deepest.
Okoronkwo will have more testing done, but a tear would almost certainly land him on injured reserve and would require the Eagles to go even further down their depth chart for help or force Howie Roseman to make a move to bolster the group.
A 30-year-old veteran who was signed to a one-year deal before training camp, Okoronkwo was active for the first time Sunday with Nolan Smith (triceps) on injured reserve. He played just four snaps before being knocked out of the victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The next man up would be Azeez Ojulari, the former Giants edge rusher the Eagles signed to a one-year, $3 million deal in the offseason. He has not been active for a game this season but figures to dress Sunday against the Denver Broncos if the Eagles don’t go outside the organization for pass-rushing assistance.
Smith’s triceps injury did not require surgery, but he will not be eligible to come off injured reserve until at least Week 8 against the New York Giants, although he could be out until after the bye week and return for the Week 10 game in Green Bay.
The Eagles were not generating anywhere near enough pressure from their edge rushers even before Smith’s injury. Za’Darius Smith, who has a half-sack he shared with safety Drew Mukuba, is the only edge rusher with a partial sack. He had three pressures across 31 pass-rushing snaps Sunday vs. the Bucs, according to Pro Football Focus, and Joshua Uche added five in 17 snaps against the pass. Jalyx Hunt, meanwhile, generated three pressures in 23 attempts, and only three of Patrick Johnson’s 15 snaps saw him used as a pass rusher, with one pressure produced.
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The Eagles rely on their interior rush to cause havoc on opposing offensive lines, but they would still like to see more production from the edges. They have just five total sacks this season. Only three teams have fewer.
The depth on the edge has already been tested, and will be tested even more with another body down. While Ojulari, who had 22 sacks in 46 games with the Giants, figures to slot in, the Eagles obviously could be in the market for outside help.
Vic Fangio doesn’t seem to like having more than four edge rushers active on game days to begin with. Can a group consisting of Za’Darius Smith, Hunt, Johnson, and Ojulari be impactful enough?
We may find out Sunday.