The Philadelphia Eagles are getting ready for a Monday Night Football contest against the Green Bay Packers. The Eagles have been dealing with several injuries across the team, which includes Cam Jurgens, who is likely going to miss this game.
While it looks like they'll be without a key starter along the offensive line, the Eagles got some great news about edge rusher Nolan Smith. According to Dave Zangaro of NBCSPhilly, Smith reveals he expects to play in Week 10 and is expected to return after missing the last five games with a triceps injury.
Nolan Smith Set to Return for Eagles in Week 10
This is a nice step forward for Smith, who strained his triceps on Sept. 24 and landed on injured reserve. His loss impacted the defensive front, as the Eagles traded for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. Although Phillips has yet to play a single snap for Philadelphia, he seems open to staying in the city of Brotherly Love for the long haul.
Nonetheless, having Smith back out there will be a huge boost to this pass rush. The Georgia product can win with speed to get around the corner and has consistently taken steps forward over his three seasons with the team.
Being able to have Phillips on the defensive line is something that will also benefit Smith, as teams can't hone in on one pass rusher. In the second half of the 2024 regular season, Smith went into another gear. In his last 15 games in 2024, which included the postseason, he had 10.5 sacks. Four of those came in the postseason.
When a player misses time, they always appear eager to return, and that's the case with Smith. Although he didn't record a sack in 2025, Smith had eight total pressures and seven QB hurries in three games this season.
The Eagles will likely keep Smith on a snap count in his first game back, but regardless, this is exactly what Philadelphia needed. Injuries are a part of the game, and that's why depth is needed for when those things happen.
Philadelphia leaned on those guys for the last five weeks, but getting Smith back makes this defense a better unit. The Eagles will be facing Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Caleb Williams, and Josh Allen over the next couple of weeks, so having one of your better defensive ends back is huge.