Philadelphia Eagles: 5 positive talking points from the Week 1 loss
By David Esser
Josh Sweat is here to stay.
Not only was Eagles DE Josh Sweat graded as the second-highest defensive player in the NFL last week, but he also recorded one of the fastest sacks in all of football last week. Regardless of the team’s final result, that’s enough to get fans excited about his future moving forward.
Sweat finished the game having played a career-high 49 snaps, racking up two pressures and one sack-fumble. He was constantly bending around the Washington O-Line and applying pressure to Dwayne Haskins, and was without question the Philadelphia Eagles best defensive lineman on the afternoon.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz specifically highlighted Sweat’s performance in the post game Zoom call, stating that he’s been one of the team’s “most improved players”.
At just 23 years of age, Sweat’s emergence into an elite every-down edge rusher for the Eagles would be absolutely massive heading into the future. Team legend Brandon Graham can’t play forever, and former first-round pick Derek Barnett still can’t seem to get/stay healthy.
Sweat was a frequent name that popped up in preseason “breakout” articles, and it really is a welcome sight to see. Sweat was the most sought after DE in the nation coming out of high school prior to his knee injury, so there’s definitely some untapped potential there.