The Philadelphia Eagles have gone young at EDGE rusher and seem content on staying that way. Buuuuuuttttt there are two guys currently very unhappy with their contract situations that could make Howie reconsider his stance.
Both TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals, have been notably absent from their respect teams mini camps.
Two of the top EDGE rushers in the league who both happen to be in the same division and both currently unhappy with their contract situations.
Trey Hendrickson
Let’s start with Hendrickson, he’s been in the league since 2017 and at 30 years old is coming off back to back 17.5 sack seasons. Rightfully so, he would like to get paid like a top EDGE rusher in the league. I mean the dude is a monster just look at this…
A defensive player of the year finalist on a defense that allowed 25.5 ppg and blew multiple games for the Bengals the last few years. A true diamond of a player surrounded by shit. If I were him i’d be asking for top dollar to keep me in Cincy too.
Imagine him on this Eagles defense??? My man would EAT!!!! Good luck trying to stop him while Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter wreak havoc in the middle.
Vic Fangio would have a field day with him added to this defense and we all know he loves having veteran EDGE rushers.
Hendrickson throughout his career has also stayed pretty healthy and has only missed a handful of games during his career. If I’m Howie Roseman, I’m picking up the phone and offering a couple of draft picks and adding to this already dangerous Eagles defense. Sure we might have to pay him but we have seen how well Howie manages the cap and I’d be fully confident in him figuring out how to make it work.
TJ Watt
Now onto TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, younger brother of the legend JJ Watt and another top EDGE rusher in the NFL. Similar to Hendrickson, Watt is also 30 years old and has been in the league since 2017.
Injuries shortend his season last year and yet he still managed to have 11.5 sacks. The year before that he had 19 sacks and his career best came back in 2021 when he had 22.5 sacks. Again, just an absolute monster on the defensive line and the fact that he hasn’t gotten paid is wild.
Now obviously, the biggest concern with Watt is if he can stay healthy. Unlike Hendrickson, Watt has missed his share of games throughout his career and has had some nagging injuries. When healthy, he is arguably better than Trey Hendrickson.
Him being 30 only adds to the concern of injury. As a current 30 year old who is NOT in the NFL(Shocker I know) I can confirm everything hurts and I am not the athlete that I used to be. Granted, TJ Watt is in waaaaayyyyyy better shape then I am(For now) but still age catches up to everyone and with a history of injuries it only increases the likelihood.
There are already rumors out there of the Eagles being the favorite to land him if the Steelers decide to move him. But, there seems to be a confidence within the Steelers organization that a deal will be worked out with Watt sooner than later.
Again, Howie should still be on the phone offering some of the draft picks that we have to try and pry Watt out of Pittsburgh. Adding him to this defense would not only do wonders for the Eagles but could also be better for his health. The Eagles have enough guys that can rotate in to where he won’t have to play as many snaps and can still have a major impact.
Bottom line is the Eagles do have a slight need for an EDGE rusher and the free agents out there still aren’t horrible options. To me though, if Howie really want to put a stamp on going for a repeat he would make a move for one of these two guys. We’ve seen him work magic before and I will not be surprised if he makes a deal for one of these two.
#GoBirds
-Walsh
The Philly Phan Cave 
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