Philadelphia Eagles: The Josh Sweat breakout is here

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat is making the most of his latest opportunity.

The summer leading into his senior year of high school, there were some scouting departments that considered Josh Sweat the top college football prospect in the nation. Unfortunately, a severe knee injury ended his senior year prematurely, and altered his path to the National Football League. After spending 3 seasons at Florida State, where he racked up 14.5 sacks and 29.5 tackles for a loss; the Philadelphia Eagles selected the edge rusher with their fourth-round pick (130th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Leading into that draft process, there were some scouts who believed Sweat possessed skills that could potentially make him a first-round pick. The catch though was his injury history, which is what forced him to slip to day 3 of the draft.

Luckily, the Philadelphia Eagles appear to have hit a home run with this pick; which of course we all know is not something we get to say often about our beloved Birds. His first two years in the NFL were promising. Year one led to hardly any playing time, as he played 68 defensive snaps for the entire season recording just a single tackle. However, year two was a nice step forward as he flashed some of that potential, recording 4 sacks in a limited role.

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Now in year three of his NFL journey, the Eagles’ defensive end is making the most of his opportunity; as he has racked up 3 sacks and 5 QB hits through the first four games of the season. Oh, and you can add in a forced fumble to that stat line as well. Additionally, in Week 1 against Washington, Sweat recorded the fastest sack in the NFL that week; as he sacked Dwayne Haskins in 2.3 seconds.

This has kind of become the theme of this team on defense so far this season. Believe it or not, the Philadelphia Eagles currently lead the NFL with 17 sacks through their first four games. Yes I know, that sounds insane when you first hear that; but it is true and Sweat has played a big role in that.

Much has been made of this front office in recent years for their notoriously bad track record in developing prospects or selecting the right players in the NFL Draft. It sure is a pleasant surprise to see them be rewarded for taking a chance on a player like Sweat; who flashed first-round talent and slipped in the process due to medical concerns. While we don’t get to say this often, Howie Roseman and his crew made the right choice in this situation.

Sweat seems poised to make plays for this Eagles’ defense for years to come. Yes, he is now in his third season, but the former Florida State Seminole is still only 23 years old. To me, that signals this may just be a glimpse into the player he can become. There appears to be another level he can take his game too, especially considering hes still probably 4-5 years away from even hitting his prime. I am incredibly excited to see what kind of impact Sweat can have moving forward.

One thing is for sure, the Philadelphia Eagles have found a diamond in the rough with Sweat. As he appears to just be scratching the surface, be prepared to see big #94 in midnight green, terrorizing quarterbacks in the NFC East for many years to come.