The loss of Jaelan Phillips was felt by all Philadelphia Eagles fans, but adding younger edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie gives the fan base a sense of the unknown, but hopefully gives them the feeling that he can step in.
During the first week of free agency, the Eagles signed Ebiketie to a one-year deal to step in as one of the edge rushers on the team. Ebiketie had his introductory press conference, where he shared what brought him to Philly as a "good fit."
"Obviously, it goes without saying, Vic's (Fangio) system. Over the last couple of years, the Eagles have been notorious for having a great defense, and that's something I felt like I just wanted to be a part of, and just coming out here and learning from those guys, and just the goal is always to be the best version of yourself as you can be possbily be, so I felt like it was a great fit for me."
Arnold Ebiketie is a fit for the Eagles' defense
During his four-year career with the Atlanta Falcons, Ebiketie had 129 tackles, 41 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, six pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 67 games. Last season, he had just two sacks, but he recorded six in 2023 and 2024 before 2025. Adding to his 2025 year, Pro Football Focus reported that Ebiketie posted career highs in pass-rush win rate (16.8%) and pass-rush grade (73.4).
The Eagles are signing EDGE Arnold Ebiketie to a 1-year deal worth up to $7.3M, per @AdamSchefter
— PFF (@PFF) March 13, 2026
Ebiketie set career-highs in pass rush win rate and PFF pass rush grade in 2025 📈 pic.twitter.com/EQjQWKBs3K
Ebiketie is similar to Phillips in that he might get the sack numbers people hope for, but he is great at pressuring the quarterback. He will make for the perfect edge rusher to join Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt off the edges when they all rotate with each other.
Fangio will love Ebiketie, though, as he is perfect for the scheme. This is a freakish athlete who can run a 4.65 40-yard dash, so he's good speed coming off the edge, and his six career pass deflections show that he can drop back into coverage and make some plays when he needs to. He's only going to get better under Fangio.
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There are going to be questions about what kind of impact that Ebiketie can have on the Eagles in 2026, but there's no doubt he can make some plays for the Eagles.