Over two weeks, I’m taking a look at 10 Eagles players who might be primed for a breakout season in 2020. I have already looked at Boston Scott, K’Von Wallace, Sidney Jones, T.J. Edwards, Jalen Reagor, Isaac Seumalo and Derek Barnett.
Up today: Josh Sweat
Age: 23
How acquired: 2018 4th-round pick
Entering: Year 3
After a really limited rookie year that ended on Injured Reserve, Josh Sweat started to show some real promise in 2019. He played in all 16 games and saw an increased role in the defense, playing 355 defensive snaps (34 percent).
Last season, Sweat was behind starters Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham and got less playing time than Vinny Curry. So he was the fourth defensive end option in 2019. Heading into 2020, he’s No. 3 and there’s not a clear No. 4 anymore.
NFL
Behind Sweat are Genard Avery, Shareef Miller, Joe Ostman and an injured Daeshon Hall. So in Year 3, Sweat is going to have plenty of opportunity.
In 2019, Sweat had 4 sacks, 21 tackles, 7 TFLs and 10 QB hits. That means that last year, Sweat averaged a sack every 88 snaps, a better rate than Graham (93) and Barnett (109). To be fair, though, Sweat probably saw more action on third downs.
One big reason we saw a jump from Sweat in Year 2 was added weight. Sweat showed up to training camp in 2019 weighing 265 pounds. A year earlier at the NFL combine, he weighed just 251. He played just 68 snaps as a rookie before landing on IR with an ankle injury that wasn’t really that serious. From there, he vowed to get bigger and stronger. It worked.
At the beginning of training camp last year, Sweat said he felt not only bigger but also more explosive. Sweat already had explosiveness but now he has some power too. That showed on the field. And think about it: He was still getting used to playing about 20 pounds heavier last year. Now, he has a year of experience with that weight, which should help him quite a bit.
One great thing about Sweat’s NFL career is that we haven’t seen him slowed down by a knee injury he suffered in high school. That knee injury was a devastating one and Sweat still wears a knee brace. The Eagles had Sweat graded much higher than the fourth round where they took him and a likely reason he was available was that knee, despite the fact that he was pretty durable at Florida State.
Two years into his NFL career, that knee has held up just fine and Sweat has a chance to realize his potential in Year 3.
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