After watching the Philadelphia Eagles' pass rush take a severe hit when Jalen Carter was ejected before the first defensive snap of Week 1 for what is now being called “spitgate,” Howie Roseman wasted little time shoring up Vic Fangio's front seven, signing Za'Darius Smith to join an edge rushing group headlined by Nolan Smith, Josh Uche, and Jalyx Hunt.
Asked how it felt to add a veteran rusher with inside-out abilities to effectively fill the shoes retired by Brandon Graham, Nick Sirianni told reporters he's jazzed about the signing, as it's just another example of Roseman bringing quality talent to the NovaCare Center.
“Excited about Za'Darius and what he can add. From watching his tape the last five years, really, as I see him, or even more than that, and then what he did last year. Looking forward to that. I think he adds to a very deep room where we have a lot of confidence in all those guys,” Sirianni told reporters.
“Now again, with that being said, sometimes it's hard to go up with six or seven guys at that position to dress for a game. We had some choices to make, and that's the way we went this week. But, I really like the depth of that room, and Howie's done a great job of putting that room together, and [Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers Coach Jeremiah] Wash [Washburn] does a great job of coaching that group. Coach Wash is a phenomenal football coach who's always pressing those guys to get better. So, you get good talent in here, and then you coach that talent hard and push them to get better. That's a recipe for good things. I'm really excited about that room.”
Because the Eagles played on Thursday night football, they were given a competitive advantage in signing Smith, as teams don't have to guarantee a veteran's contract for the entire season if they are signed after Week 1. With Smith a hot name with a number of quality playoff teams, Roseman got to swoop in and secure his services for $9 million, all the while preventing any risk should the former Detroit Lions rusher have nothing left in the tank. All in all, a great move by Roseman that Sirianni clearly appreciates.
