When Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio let it slip that he wasn't particularly impressed with any of the team's veteran free agent additions at the edge rusher position, it got fans worried.
Granted, there was always going to be a bit of a dropoff going from players like Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham to journeyman free agents on one-year, prove-it deals, but surely Howie Roseman would work his magic and keep Philadelphia's train a-rollin, right?
Well, with a few more practices to evaluate his players, Fangio has amended his feelings at least a little bit, using some of his Monday press conference to give props to Josh Uche, who has come on as of late at the position.
“Yeah, I think Josh has had some good practices here of late, he's flashed and had some really good plays,” Fangio explained. “Like a lot of the guys that are new, he just needs to eliminate the negative plays, and the negative plays aren't something that you guys may see or know. It's just reacting and covering, and the way we want to play the run. The nuances of the defense. He has to master those, but overall he's had a good camp and I see him getting better each and every day, and the same thing with Azeez.”
Once considered one of the top rising edge rusher prospects in the NFL when he was recording double-digit sacks under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots, Uche has fallen off over the past few years, with Eliot Wolf selling off the 28-year-old rusher at last season's trade deadline despite signing a team-friendly contract a few months prior. If any player on the Eagles' roster really needs to put things together this fall, it has to be Uche, which makes his emergence as a viable rotational rusher a very welcomed development for Eagles fans looking for that next great free agency steal.
Eagles DC Vic Fangio discusses Edge Josh Uche.
It sounds as if he might be a tad higher on the depth chart than some thought. pic.twitter.com/NygLvsnqoP— David (@PHLEagleNews) August 4, 2025
