The Philadelphia Eagles' defense went through significant changes in the offseason following their Super Bowl victory. For a multitude of reasons, including underperformance, retirement, or getting priced out in free agency, the Eagles had to move on from several key members of Vic Fangio's elite defensive unit and replace them with newcomers.
The pass rush rotation was no exception, as the Eagles completely revamped the room, having to replace Brandon Graham, Bryce Huff, and Josh Sweat with Josh Uche, Za'Darius Smith, Azeez Ojulari, and Ogbo Okoronkwo. While Uche and Smith have been able to make an impact right away, the latter two names have been nowhere to be seen. In fact, Okoronkwo's time in Philadelphia may be coming to an end before it even got going.
Ogbo Okoronkwo May Be Gone After Suffering Serious Injury
On Sunday, Okoronkwo was activated for the first time this season and made his Eagles debut during Nolan Smith's injury absence. Unfortunately, the former Browns standout didn't last too long as he left the game with a triceps injury after four defensive snaps. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane reported on Monday that Okoronkwo is "believed to have torn his triceps in the Bucs game and is likely headed to injured reserve".
Even though McLane added that the team is awaiting more testing, The Athletic's Brooks Kubena said that Okoronkwo "is expected to have suffered a season-ending triceps tear".
This is a devastating development for the 30-year-old, who was getting his first opportunity with his new team. After winning a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams earlier in his career, the veteran defensive end was hoping to get back to winning in Philadelphia, but may be facing an uphill battle to remain with the Eagles following this injury.
Since teams can never have enough pass rushers in the NFL, Okoronkwo could find himself as a deep bench option elsewhere upon his return from this likely season-ending injury. For Philadelphia, they will likely start to consider other options, as they are running low on capable pass rushers. Smith isn't expected to be back until November, meaning that the Eagles could use one more option to round out the rotation.
Until then, however, it is presumably Ojulari's turn to step up. Just like Okoronkwo, the offseason addition was inactive in the first three weeks of the season, and still wasn't considered after Smith landed on the IR. Now, Nick Sirianni and Fangio have no choice but to trust the 25-year-old pass rusher who spent his first four years in the NFL with the New York Giants. How well he does in his first stint as an Eagle will likely determine how urgently the front office will make a move to address the concerns.