The Philadelphia Eagles were so desperate for more depth at pass rush that they had to convince Brandon Graham to come out of retirement. The Eagles legend will undoubtedly help the team, even at age 37, but the Eagles' issues run deeper than what Graham can solve. It behooves GM Howie Roseman and the front office to add another pass rusher to the rotation before the November 4 trade deadline.
Unfortunately, however, the Eagles may be running out of options. On Wednesday, New York Jets defender Jermaine Johnson, who is considered to be one of the top pass rushers on the trade market, had a social media post that revealed his lack of interest in a move. Posting a GIF from the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, with the caption "I'm not leaving," Johnson made it clear that he doesn't want to leave the Jets any time soon.
This comes on the heels of Johnson getting identified as one of the best 25 players likely to be moved at the deadline by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen. In their write-up, Fowler and Bowen identified the Eagles as an ideal team fit and put Johnson's chances of getting traded at 35%.
Jermaine Johnson May Not Be an Option for the Eagles Anymore
After Johnson's post on X, those odds may have gone down, further highlighting how few pass rushers there may be on the trade block over the next two weeks. The potential remaining options are Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips, and Arden Key, but how available any of them actually are remains unclear.
This is a surprising update from Johnson, who has yet to have a postseason appearance, and is off to a 0-7 record with the Jets. He has one more year left on his contract after the Jets picked up his fifth-year option. The former Pro Bowler has been dealing with injuries since missing most of last season with a torn Achilles, but has been solid when he has suited up this season, putting up a sack, two QB hits, and a tackle for loss in four starts.
At this point, the Eagles need any help that they can get. They have the fifth-fewest sack total of any team in the league with 11, and they have struggled to generate consistent pressure all season. Even with Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari (who is an injury concern after leaving Week 7 early) playing above expectations, there is simply not enough pass-rush depth on the roster, especially after Za'Darius Smith's abrupt retirement. Johnson may be off the market, but the Eagles have to turn their attention elsewhere before it's too late.