One thing that has come alive for the Philadelphia Eagles since the bye week has been how good the pass rush has been.
That was not the case before the bye week, as the unit struggled mightily against multiple factors, including Za'Darius Smith retiring early and injuries to Nolan Smith Jr. and Azeez Ojulari. They were able to get some help with trading for Jaelan Phillips, signing Brandon Graham, and Smith returning from IR.
Smith has been the key, racking up three sacks and eight quarterback hits in the last six games, looking like a promising pass rusher for the future, but has been held to a snap count to ease him back in. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is ready to let Smith rock and roll in the defense.
“I don’t think the pitch count is there anymore.”
“I don’t think the pitch count is there anymore.” — Vic Fangio on Nolan Smith
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) December 17, 2025
Smith got the go ahead to dominant on a full time basis
In Week 16's 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Smith saw his snap count go up as he played in 62% of the defensive snaps with 26. He racked up two tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, and one sack in the victory.
According to Pro Football Focus, Smith is ranked 49th out of 112 defensive ends in the NFL with an overall grade of 68. He's had 24 pressures, 18 hurries, nine quarterback hits, and three sacks on the season.
It was a rough beginning of the year for Smith as he only had one quarterback hit and zero sacks in the first three games before being placed on IR with a triceps injury. Eagles fans were worried that he would not live up to the expectations Josh Sweat had set before departing for the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason.
Since the bye week, it has been quite the transformation as Phillips and Graham have added a spark to the defensive line. The better quality in pass rushers has made it easy for guys like Smith and Jalyx Hunt to get pressure on the quarterback. That is what this unit has been missing all season, and it's been a different situation.
Read more: Eagles' offensive line looks depleted after latest Week 16 injury report
Smith has looked like a completely different player in the second half of the season and seems poised to be able to continue to dominate with more snaps coming his way, and potentially some sacks to add to the stat line.