Realistic expectations for Josh Sweat during the Eagles regular season

The experts agree. Josh Sweat could be on the verge of a breakout season.

It must be a nice feather in vice president/general manager Howie Roseman’s cap to know that his defense can be discussed in detail for hours before Josh Sweat’s name even comes up. That isn’t a knock on Sweat or his ability. He’ll be an important cog in what Philly wants to do on defense for the next three seasons. It’s just a testament to there being some intriguing names on the Eagles’ roster and there being so many other things to talk about on that side of the ball.

Naturally, we begin with the leader, Jonathan Gannon. The 2021-2022 NFL season was his first as a defensive coordinator. There were ups ad downs. He was criticized by the general public and two of his players publicly, one being one of the Eagles’ biggest stars and longest-tenured players, Fetcher Cox.

In the end, Gannon won his unit over. His name came up often during the most recent coaching search, but he wasn’t offered a job by anyone. The Eagles have added Kyzir White, Haason Reddick, James Bradberry, and Jaquiski Tartt to the nest at various points in the past four months. They drafted Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, and Kyron Johnson.

Gannon has no excuses. The Eagles’ defense had better be good.

Did you see what we just did? We said all of that and didn’t mention Josh Sweat yet. That’s how easily he can get lost in the shuffle once a good conversation gets going. That’s part of the reason ESPN ranks him as the Eagles’ most underrated player. It’s easy to see why that would be the case: great talent coupled with other talking points. Trust us on this one though. You’re going to hear a lot about him this season. This should be a breakout year.