Philadelphia Eagles training camp is really starting to bring out the best in players and expose some of the not-so-great talents as well.
The position battles have been fierce, but some are looking up; they are wrapping up quickly after just a little over a week of work. One that has been at the top of every fan's mind is the edge rusher battle between Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr.
It has been clear since Day 1 of camp that Hunt has been having an out-of-this-world performance. Every day, he has made highlight-reel plays and is literally dominating the tackles like Jordan Mailata. The same cannot necessarily be said about Smith.
Eagles fans are patiently waiting for Nolan Smith Jr. to do something
NBC Sports Philadelphia Eagles reporter Dave Zangaro shared his list of the stock-up and stock-down players at training camp. Zangaro named Hunt as having his stock up because he is outperforming Smith, who is still having a good camp but not a great one.
"Hunt and Nolan Smith entered this camp competing for the starting job opposite Jonathan Greenard. But because Greenard began camp on the PUP list, both have been working with the first team. While Smith has been solid, Hunt has flashed way more. He seems to make big plays every day."
It's not a good look for Smith not to be playing at the same level as Hunt, even if he is still having a good training camp. Smith is a former first-round pick, and Hunt was a third-round pick, so the expectations for both guys are different. This regression, though, has been happening since last year.
In 2025, Smith missed four games due to a triceps injury and sat out the last game with starters being benched. He finished the year with 31 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, three sacks, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble in 12 games. Smith added 33 pressures and 24 hurries on the season.
Pro Football Focus gave him a 67.7 overall grade, ranking him 55th out of 115 edge rushers in the NFL last year. They also gave him a pass-rush grade of 67.3 and a run-defense grade of 66.9.
Smith was a key contributor to the Eagles' Super Bowl title run in 2024, having a career-high 6.5 sacks. Many are wondering what happened to that guy over the last season.
The problem may not necessarily be that he's regressing, as it might be more that he's not getting better and has flatlined in his development. Hunt is getting better and better every season, using training camp to show that he should be starting over Smith.
Last season, Hunt led the Eagles in sacks (6.5) and interceptions (three), the first time that has ever happened in franchise history. In training camp, he has gotten stronger and is only starting to hit the prime of his NFL career.
Philly is showing patience for Smith, though, after picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie year, proving they still have faith in him. It's too bad that isn't beenhasn't backed it up on the field so far. The Eagles might be better off giving Hunt more money than trying to make Smith work.
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There should be a lot of appreciation for what Smith has done in his young career, but at the rate he's going, there's no reason to keep him beyond the 2027 season. If he can't step up in training camp and loses his starting job to Hunt, Smith's future will be up in the air.
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