Eagles news: Josh Sweat's new number, Philly's top bounce-back candidate

Gosh... Before he was one of the noticeable absences at the Philadelphia Eagles' recent OTA practice open to the media, how long had it been since we dedicated a ton of time to mentioning Josh Sweat? Was it during his contract restructure? Yeah... It had to have been during the restructure. That's what happens when a talent-rich team gets richer. We can go weeks without mentioning one of their best pass rushers.

Let's cure that right now, shall we? This one won't break the internet or draw oohs and aahs. It is worth mentioning though. Hang onto those Number 94 jerseys, but frame them or something because Josh Sweat has a new groove.

Eagles news: Josh Sweat changes his jersey number.

Expect to see a few extra Number 19 Eagles jerseys at Lincoln Financial Field this season maybe.. While we'd venture to state that most, if any, will be worn by those who dusted off their old J.J. Arcega-Whiteside or Golden Tate digs (we're kidding of course), new Eagles jerseys carrying that number will be worn by Josh Sweat as there has been an update on the team's roster page.

Tanner McKee previously wore 19. He has now switched to the Number 16 jersey.

More Eagles news: C.J. Gardner-Johnson mentioned in flattering light by Pro Football Focus.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back in Philly! Perhaps you have heard. He earned a nice mention leading into the weekend as well. Pro Football Focus dropped a nice read mentioning bounce-back candidates for all 32 NFL teams. C.J. G.J. took the title for Philadelphia.

Check out what Bradley Locker, the writer of this one, mentioned as his reason for saying so.

"...Philly reunited with Gardner-Johnson, which should provide a boost to a secondary that was torn apart last year.

Gardner-Johnson played only 291 snaps in 2023 because of a torn pec, and his late-season return was a mixed bag. The safety was a weak link in the Lions’ conference championship loss to the 49ers, with a 33.9 overall grade.

Part of why Gardner-Johnson wasn’t as good last year was his diminished pass rush, with his 50.7 grade in that department a career low by a landslide. Then again, it’s encouraging that his coverage grade remained consistent based on years past. If Vic Fangio deploys CGJ more as a blitzer, he should have a better 2024."

Let's make long stories shorter. If C.J. G.J. were to return and dominate in Eagles green, you wouldn't hear a complaint out of any Birds fans. His best season came in 2022 while a member of this proud organization.

If memory serves, Philly ran a variation of Vic Fangio's defense at the time. Now, they employ the architect. Buckle up. This could be fun. Philly may have a few bounce-back and breakout candidates on the roster this season. Let's hope the guys wearing the Number 19 and Number 8 jerseys are among them.

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