The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 in the season opener and started off the 2025 season with a 1-0 record. Despite getting the win, the Eagles still made an addition to the roster.
On Friday, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that edge rusher Za'Darius Smith signed a 1-year deal with the upside to $9M.
And that acquisition likely puts Azeez Ojulari on the hot seat before he even plays a game for the Eagles.
Azeez Ojulari Could Be on Thin Ice for the Eagles
This past March, Philadelphia signed Ojulari to a one-year, $4 million deal. He was given an opportunity to latch onto a team that was looking for more edge help after Josh Sweat left in free agency. Instead of taking advantage of the chance, it looks like he is on his way out. Especially since he was inactive due to a coach's decision on Thursday night.
During training camp, Ojulari wasn't making much of an impact on the field. He was clearly behind Josh Uche, who was EDGE3 in the rotation.
Ojulari suited up in all three preseason games for Philly, logging a 64.9 overall grade, 65.5 run-defense grade, and 59.1 pass-rushing grade per PFF. He finished with three tackles and one sack over 65 total snaps.
In the season opener, Nolan Smith led the team at edge with 52 snaps. Following him were Jalyx Hunt (39, Uche (19), and Patrick Johnson (12).
The Eagles felt like they needed more juice off the corner, and Ojulari didn't convince the coaching staff enough to keep them from adding Smith.
The new Eagles defender has 69 career sacks under his belt, including nine with the Lions and Browns in 2024. He was able to record a 74.4 overall grade and 76.5 pass-rush grade on PFF.
The soon-to-be 33-year-old has more miles on his tires, but the team believes he has more compared to Ojulari. If they didn't believe so, they wouldn't have added him to the Georgia product on the team.
General manager Howie Roseman has never been afraid to make moves to improve the roster, and this was just the latest example. Philadelphia added another veteran force to its defensive line, but that could spell the end of Ojulari before he even steps on the field for Philadelphia.