The Philadelphia Eagles made a splash during this year’s draft when they acquired Jonathan Greenard in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings.
The Eagles brought in the 29-year-old for two third-round picks and gave him a four-year, $98 million extension to boost their pass rush. But the Eagles may have a reason to have some buyer’s remorse after a recent rumor involving Maxx Crosby.
Hondo Carpenter, who covers the Las Vegas Raiders for SI, described the Eagles as a “nuclear hot” suitor in a potential trade for Crosby. The Eagles may not be able to pull it off due to extensions that could be handed out in the coming months, but they also may not be able to do it after investing in Greenard, which could produce some unlikely regret even before he plays a snap in Philadelphia.
The Eagles chose Jonathan Greenard’s upside over Maxx Crosby’s consistency
At the moment, Greenard looks like a great investment for the Eagles. His breakout began when he logged a career-high 12.5 sacks in his final year with the Houston Texans in 2023 and continued to produce with 12 sacks and 80 pressures after signing with the Vikings before the 2024 campaign according to Pro Football Focus. While he only managed 3.5 sacks playing through a shoulder injury, he still was effective overall with 47 pressures on 270 pass-rushing snaps.
If Greenard plays at this level, the Eagles may have a bargain on their books in the upcoming years. But the rewards may not have been as great had they waited to trade for Crosby.
Crosby has battled his share of injuries over the past couple of seasons, but he’s still one of the best pass rushers in the league, recording 69.5 sacks in his seven years in the NFL. He could have built on those numbers if the Raiders didn’t shut him down due to a knee injury late last season, but he still wound up with 10 sacks and 53 pressures on 515 pass-rushing snaps.
The knee issue was the reason the Baltimore Ravens backed out of a trade to acquire Crosby this spring and holding onto two first-round picks may not be the worst thing as the Eagles can hold onto them for a bigger move. There’s even a chance the Eagles could decide to play for now and go all-in by pairing Crosby with Greenard. But it’s more likely they’ve passed on the more consistent player for the first one that came along.
Crosby and Greenard had identical 15.5 percent pass-rush win rates last season, but the biggest difference came with finishing plays. While Crosby had a 12.2 percent missed tackle rate last season and 14 percent rate for his career, Greenard had a 25 percent missed tackle rate last season with a 24.1 percent rate for his career.
That also shows up in Crosby’s consistency. While Crosby has never finished with fewer than seven sacks in a season, Greenard has finished with three sacks or fewer in three of his six seasons. Greenard has also played a full 17 game season just once in his career, bringing a similar injury risk to the table.
This can all go away if Greenard finishes a few more plays and hits the double-digit sack ceiling he is capable of. It’s also a solid move considering he cost $30 million less than Jaelan Phillips, who left the Eagles for the Carolina Panthers in free agency. But Crosby brings a steadier floor that may have been worth the extra money and draft picks to acquire him.
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As mentioned before, there’s still a chance they could wind up on the same team. But not waiting on Crosby seems like a rare error that could come back to bite the Eagles next season.
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