The group effort behind the Eagles' surprising pass rush

The Eagles don’t have a Haason Reddick in 2024. They don’t have that one player who is going to get 15 sacks to lead the way. And that’s OK.

Because this pass rush is still getting home.

That’s not surprising inside the NovaCare Complex. The Eagles knew if they were going to get after quarterbacks in 2024, it would have to be a full-team effort.

“I think it’s going to be the group rush mentality,” outside linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn said way back on Aug. 6. “That’s really our focus this year … That’s where our production is going to come, is just through the group. And I think the selflessness of that. That’s been a real point of emphasis for our group, just Clint (Hurtt) and I and Vic (Fangio).”

After a slow start to the season, the Eagles’ defense has been the best in the league since their early Week 5 bye and the pass rush has improved too. After having just 6 sacks in their first 4 games, the Eagles have 30 in their last 8.

They have the most sacks in the NFL since returning from their bye in Week 6.

And they’re doing it without one guy getting a ton. That’s the group rush.

“Rushing as a unit, rushing as one,” Jordan Davis said on Thursday. “We all got that mindset, we all think the same, we all got our mind on the same things, which is getting the QB down, however that may be done. Whether that’s somebody getting four hands on him, other people free. Everybody winning their 1-on-1. That’s the definition of group rush to me.”

Overall in 2025, the Eagles are tied for sixth in the NFL in sacks with 36, behind Broncos (47), Texans (42), Ravens (41), Vikings (39) and Jets (37).

While the Eagles’ pressure rate of 30.3% ranks 26th in the NFL, their sack rate of 8.0% ranks sixth. That means they’re finishing.

Here’s a look at every player who has gotten on the sack board this season:

Josh Sweat: 7.0
Milton Williams: 5.0
Jalen Carter: 4.5
Nolan Smith: 4.5
Brandon Graham: 3.5
Nakobe Dean: 3
Bryce Huff: 2.5
Zack Baun: 2.5
Jalyx Hunt: 1.5
Jordan Davis: 1.0
Cooper DeJean: 0.5
Thomas Booker: 0.5

It takes a lot of work to get a pass rush working together like this. And it doesn’t hurt that three of these linemen were teammates together at the University of Georgia.

“All of us just being in the room together, talking, going out to eat,” Nolan Smith said. “Just really being family and that camaraderie. A lot of times we don’t get to practice with the D-tackles because we got other things that we gotta do. But when we get with them, we’re making that time meaningful.”

Defensive tackle Thomas Booker said it’s almost like art to see the pass rush working so well in harmony and it’s all about communication and feel.

“If a guy on the edge is going to do a high rush, you have the guy on the inside do a power rush to be able to push the quarterback back so he can’t step up and make that high rush harder to make,” Booker explained. “The opposite too; you got a guy on the inside that wants to hit the B-gap, you have a guy on the outside that’s ready to fall back. It’s that kind of communication between the guys play-to-play, snap-to-snap and also it’s just a feel thing. Football is where a lot of unexpected stuff happens so being able to work off your guys matters.”

Booker said that sometimes there’s a bunch of verbal communication play-to-play but sometimes the play is a little more “pre-prescribed” and they just have to react off what the offense throws their way.

Either way, it helps to have cohesion between all of the linemen — interior and edge.

“That’s why we’re so close with the D-line,” rookie edge rusher Jalyx Hunt said. “OLBs, I know it’s kind of separated, like, ‘Oh, he’s an outside linebacker, and edge rusher.’ But we’re always in the same rooms, we go out to eat all the time. We really got to know each other and that helps with the rushes. If [Jalen Carter] feels like he’s getting a good rush, he’s going to let you know about it and I’m going to tailor my rush to that.”

The Eagles’ defense has been playing at a high level in all three levels this season. And with how much pass rush is tied to coverage, there’s no doubt that the Eagles’ ability to cover on the back end has helped the pass rush. That’s OK. It’s also fine that the linebackers are contributing with pressure on QBs too; Dean and Baun have 5 1/2 sacks between the two of them. And it has also helped to be playing with so many leads.

This offseason, the biggest free agent acquisition the Eagles made — in terms of salary — was bringing in Bryce Huff on a three-year deal and that hasn’t really worked out. Huff was struggling and is now on IR after wrist surgery, although he is expected to return.

If the Eagles were simply banking on Huff to replace Reddick’s production, they might be sunk right now. But they didn’t. They were planning on group rush all along.

And the players have put in the work to realize that vision.

“Cohesion. Cohesion. You gotta be on one page,” Davis said. “That’s not just the DTs. That’s the DTs, the D-ends and everybody together. Even our coaches gotta be on the same page. It’s one of those things that takes time, you really got to cultivate it. But when it works, it works.”

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