Four Trade Candidates To Upgrade The Eagles Pass Rush

The Philadelphia Eagles have had a disappointing start to the 2024 season. Nick Sirianni’s team had high hopes after making notable offseason moves to try to fix the areas of the team that led to the colossal collapse late last season. The biggest area of concern through the team’s first four games is the defense, specifically the pass rush . The Eagles are tied for the second-fewest sacks in the league with six. The defense has the third-fewest quarterback pressures and is tied for the third-fewest quarterback hurries.

General manager Howie Roseman traded All-Pro edge rusher Haason Reddick, who had 27 sacks in his two seasons in Philadelphia, to the New York Jets during the offseason . Reddick had 49 quarterback hits, 24 quarterback hurries and 76 quarterback pressures with the Eagles.

Roseman replaced Reddick with former Jets edge rusher Bryce Huff, signing him to a massive three-year, $51.1 million contract in free agency. Huff has been nothing short of a bust for the Eagles. The 26-year-old has zero sacks, zero quarterback hits, one solo tackle, one assisted tackle, one quarterback hurry, one quarterback pressure and three missed tackles through four games to begin his Eagles career while playing 43 percent of the defensive snaps.

The Eagles need to fix the pass rush starting with this week’s game against the Cleveland Browns. If the pass rush continues to get little to no pressure in the next few games, Roseman needs to think about trading for a pass rusher before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. Here are a few options that could help the Eagles pass rush moving forward:

Azeez Ojulari - New York Giants

Azeez Ojulari was a second-round pick by the Giants in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played in all 17 games, including 13 starts, in his rookie year. He had eight sacks, 13 quarterback hits, 49 combined tackles and one forced fumble in the 2021 season with big expectations for the future.

Ojulari missed parts of the next two seasons with various injuries, playing in a combined 18 games. He’s buried behind Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns on the Giants’ depth chart this season, so he’s not getting as much playing time as he had the previous three seasons. Ojulari has one sack, two quarterback hits, 10 combined tackles and two quarterback pressures through five games while playing 37 percent of the defensive snaps.

The 24-year-old is in the final year of his rookie contract and could serve as a good rotational addition to the Eagles’ pass rush. It would likely take a Day 3 pick to acquire Ojulari but with him being so young, he could be more than just a rental.

Emmanuel Ogbah - Miami Dolphins

Emmanuel Ogbah was a second-round pick by the Browns in the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent his first three seasons in Cleveland before moving on to Kansas City for the 2019 season in which he won the Super Bowl. He’s spent the past five seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

Ogbah is an interesting player. He can play on the edge and rush the passer, move inside at defensive tackle or he can play a little bit of linebacker. He has 44.5 sacks in his nine-year career, including two sacks in 2024. The 30-year-old has five quarterback hits, 18 combined tackles, one quarterback hurry, six quarterback pressures and one interception through five games with the Dolphins this year. He’s played in 73 percent of the defensive snaps, but he would take on a much smaller role in the pass rush rotation with the Eagles.

Ogbah is in the final year of his contract and would be a rental option for the Eagles for the remainder of the season. It would likely take a Day 3 pick to acquire the veteran from the 2-3 Miami team.

Deatrich Wise Jr. - New England Patriots

Deatrich Wise Jr. is another older option the Eagles could have an interest in. The 30-year-old was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in the 2017 NFL Draft and has spent his entire eight-year career there.

Wise Jr. has had a successful and healthy career. He’s a Super Bowl champion and has missed just four games in his career. He has two sacks, three quarterback hits, 11 combined tackles, two quarterback hurries, five quarterback pressures and hasn’t missed a tackle through five games this year while playing 48 percent of the defensive snaps.

Wise Jr. is in the final year of his contract, so the 1-4 Patriots could look to trade the veteran to a pass-rush-needy team like the Eagles. The asking price would likely be a Day 3 pick.

Joshua Uche - New England Patriots

Joshua Uche is another New England pass rusher that could be dealt at the deadline. The Patriots selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft with hopes of him being a cornerstone player. He played in just nine games in his rookie year and recorded only one sack.

Uche wasn’t much of an impact player in 2021, but he did find a new gear in 2022. He played in 15 games, had 11.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, 27 combined tackles, 10 quarterback hurries, 25 quarterback pressures and forced two fumbles. He followed that up with just three sacks in 2023 but still had nine quarterback hurries and 15 quarterback pressures.

Uche has two sacks, three quarterback hits, 11 combined tackles, one quarterback hurry and four quarterback pressures through five games with the Patriots this year while playing 39 percent of the defensive snaps. The 26-year-old is used to being a rotational player which is how he would fit in with the Eagles. He’s in the final year of his contract and could be more than a rental for the Eagles. It would likely take a Day 3 pick to acquire Uche, but it could turn into a bidding war for teams that need pass-rush help.