The Philadelphia Eagles have several players vying for prominent roles at the edge rusher position, particularly with the departure of key veterans like Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Bryce Huff. The starters appear to be Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt as top returning players.

The position group was bolstered by signing free agents Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche, while also drafting Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr. in the sixth round.  On Tuesday, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio held his second press conference of training camp and provided eight answers on several pertinent topics involving the Eagles defense and the competition at several key positions.

Fangio discusses what he wants to see from the backup edge rusher position and highlights the development of rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell.

On the reserve edge rusher competition, Fangio stated, “No one’s really surfaced — good or bad.”

“Yeah, I feel good about [OLB] Nolan [Smith], and [OLB] Jalyx [Hunt] is making good strides. After that, we have got some heavy competition going on and nobody’s really truly surfaced yet. Good or bad. Hopefully over the course of this camp and preseason games, that will play itself out.”

The candidates:

Josh Uche

Uche, who the Patriots drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft, was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs before the NFL trade deadline this past season.

The young pass rusher struggled over the past two seasons but was named an underrated pass rusher by PFF entering 2025 NFL free agency. The former Patriots draft pick ranked second in pressure rate in 2022 among edge defenders. That season, he had had 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 27 total tackles—easily the best season of his five-year career. He’ll now look to rekindle that magic under Vic Fangio and a stout Eagles defense.

Azeez Ojulari

The former Georgia Bulldog and Giants draft pick is the one player who could benefit the most from Bryce Huff’s departure.

The 25-year-old pass rusher lost some luster with the Giants trading for Brian Burns to join 2022 first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux on edge; Ojulari was the odd man out to start last season, playing just 37 percent of the defensive snaps and logging only one sack in the first five games. The 24-year-old made the most of his return to the starting lineup with five sacks in three games. He’s an intriguing free agent and someone who could have a Zack Baun-like impact on the defense.

DT Moro Ojomo

Ojomo still maintains his role as a pass-rushing defensive tackle, who can play on the edge in specific situations, and potentially replace Milton Williams’s pass-rush prowess. Ojomo finished the 2024 season with 20 total tackles (six solo) in 17 regular-season games. Ojomo saw a significant increase in workload in his second season with the Eagles, playing 370 defensive snaps and 70 snaps on special teams while appearing in all 17 of the team’s games during the regular season.

OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland

Powell-Ryland, 23, is 6-3 and 258 pounds. He transferred from Florida. The Hokies’ pass rusher was named a 2nd team All-American last season after logging 16 sacks and ranked second in the ACC with 19 tackles for a loss.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Vic Fangio says the Eagles have a heavy competition at edge rusher