Training camp gets underway for the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday and there are a handful of position battles that will need to be sorted out during the summer. One of which will be the second starting EDGE rusher alongside Jonathan Greenard.
The top two candidates are Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith.
Hunt was the most improved player for the Eagles last season. After flashing his potential in the playoffs during the Super Bowl run in 2024, Hunt took that momentum and ran full steam ahead in 2025.
He became the first Eagles player in franchise history to lead the team in sacks (6.5) and interceptions (3) in the same season.
The former third-round pick out of Houston Christian was one of the top pass rushers on the Eagles, finishing with 52 tackles, 24 quarterback hits, three pass breakups and a 16.9% pressure rate in 17 games.
His play improved when the Eagles added Jaelan Phillips. Now, he gets to work alongside Jonathan Greenard who has high praise for the 25-year-old.
âJalyx is a freak. Heâs an athlete,â Greenard said via the teamâs website.
The newly added pass rusher went on to praise Huntâs athletic ability which comes from starting his playing career as a safety to begin his college career at Cornell.
âHeâs been as advertised,â Greenard added. âIâm excited to see what he can do this year.â
Hunt has proven he can play in the NFL and also thrive opposite of another high-end pass rusher.
âItâs really cool and makes me smile. I have come a long way, but it makes me more excited to work,â Hunt said to reporters last month on his path as a pro to this point.
âI just want to keep on this upward trajectory," he said.
If he keeps pointing upward, itâs going to make Howie Roseman and the rest of the front office decisions much harder on who to keep on this young but extremely talented defense moving forward.
Hunt is scheduled to make a base salary of $1.26 million this season and then $1.5 million next year before becoming a free agent in 2028. A true bargain for Roseman and the Eagles, especially if Hunt continues to elevate his game.
Similar to Hunt, Smith is also in line for a potential new deal. The Eagles picked up Smithâs fifth-year option locking him in through 2027. However, the team has some tough decisions to make on who they are going to pay on defense with Jalen Carter still not getting his extension while Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean will be commanding top dollar next year.
The Eagles are unable to play everyone, so Smith needs to prove heâs worth getting an extension.
He also needs to check off a couple other boxes.
One is off the field related. Smith was pulled over back in May for speeding and charged with reckless driving in Georgia. He was allegedly going 135 mph in a 70 mph speed zone in a 2026 Lamborghini. The outside linebacker was arrested on May 15 and released the following day. He had a court date set for July 14 but according to the sheriffâs office, Nolan did not have to show so long as he paid the fines that came with the charges.
He also needs to stay healthy. Unfortunately, the former first-round pick has dealt with injuries, most recently with a triceps injury he suffered in the Super Bowl. When he returned, he re-injured his triceps in training camp and only played in 12 games, missing six weeks due to being on the IR.
He had just three sacks but did manage to tally 11 quarterback hits despite not being fully healthy.
Yet, when at 100%, Smith has shown his ability in rushing the passer and physical play in the run game.
More so than ever in 2024 when he racked up 10.5 total sacks between the regular season (6.5) and in the playoffs (4) to help the Eagles win the Super Bowl.
That season, he finsiehd with 42 total takcles with eight tackles for loss with two pass deflections, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
The 25-year-old is expected to make a base salary of $2.38 million while his final year of his five-year rookie deal would pay him roughly $13.75 million which could prove to be a cost friendly price tag for the Eagles if Smith is able to revert back to his 2024 form.
The duo will certainly be putting in their best efforts this summer at Jefferson Health Training Complex in South Philly with a big pay day possibly within reach with standout seasons.
Greenard is being paid to be the premier pass rusher on defense so he has one of the two EDGE spots locked down, but both Hunt and Smith could see themselves in a rather evenly split rotation, opposed to one being a full-time starter, especially if Smith regains his form. However, Vic Fangio has not shied away from playing EDGE rushers the majority of the snaps, playing Phillips 78% of the time when the defense was on the field.
However it gets divided up, itâs not a bad problem to have if youâre the Eagles.
