Welcome to edge rusher row.

It’s never a dull place, these three neighboring lockers. It’s Nolan Smith, then Jalyx Hunt, then Bryce Huff. A pillar separates Smith from Saquon Barkley. There are days when the running back’s media scrums are so large, Smith has to weave through reporters to get his stuff like a concert-goer trying to get closer to the stage.

Brandon Graham is within hollering distance. That adjective has been well-tested. The 15-year veteran looks after his pups. Josh Sweat, the team’s sack leader, is typically sitting and grinning — a 6-5 contortion absorbed in his phone. There’s a little bit of Graham in Smith, another heckling voice that can be heard from across any room. It’s little coincidence the young trio is grouped together; they’re the ones who must earn their spaces, and, given they’re the ones under contract beyond this season, they’ll also be afforded the time.

In total, the edge rushers epitomize a personnel department’s proper portfolio for the volatility of football. They represent the investment of a team’s strongest resources and the contingencies that offer stability when the former isn’t going as planned. Zoom out and the group’s 15.5 sacks still account for more than half of the ninth-highest team total in the NFL (28). They’ve forced four of a fifth-ranked 10 fumbles. They’ve totaled 18 tackles for loss and have hit quarterbacks 25 times. No one cracks the top 20 in any of the major pass rush categories. The parts of some make up a respectable whole.

Arguably, the Philadelphia Eagles should have a more potent pass rush. That defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has fielded something formidable without premier production speaks to the sort of depth that can save seasons.

A full ruling can’t be given for several more years, but, as of now, no one has immediately benefited from the Haason Reddick trade. The New York Jets sunk a conditional 2026 third-round pick into a disgruntled pass rusher whose contract holdout lasted seven games and has since logged a half-sack in five games. Huff, Smith and Hunt are the only edge rushers under contract when the Eagles are scheduled to use the Reddick pick, and Huff, who backfilled Reddick’s roster spot by signing a three-year, $51.1 million free agency deal, is likely bound for injured reserve after recording 2.5 sacks in 10 games.

Had Reddick instead remained in Philly, it’s not unreasonable to imagine him careening toward his third consecutive Pro Bowl. Other issues aside, the 2023 Eagles defense had more sacks (31) and quarterback hits (81) through 10 games than the 2024 Eagles (28, 50). Huff, midway through his age-26 season, hasn’t yet fulfilled the $34 million guaranteed the Eagles did not award the 30-year-old Reddick. Huff’s relegation to a pass-rush role was also a notch against Eagles evaluators who thought he could be an every-down defender.

Huff may again deliver when he’s fully healthy. Nick Sirianni has often offered confidence Huff’s time will come. The fourth-year head coach confirmed Huff underwent surgery on Thursday. The edge rusher injured his wrist during warmups before their Week 9 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was limited to a season-low six snaps in that game, then wore a hard cast while totaling 26 snaps in the next two. Although Huff was fairly productive in his limited role with a fumble-forcing sack and two tackles for loss, the Eagles believed surgery was the best pathway for Huff to play with fuller functionality.

In the meantime, Smith’s role may increase. The No. 30 pick in 2023 was already Fangio’s first choice in base packages, and, after Huff’s injury, Smith was also deployed in nickel. An all-around role is notable for Smith, who, at 6-2, 238 pounds, has been working with position coach Jeremiah Washburn to learn how to best leverage his size while taking on blocks against the run. According to TruMedia, opponents are averaging 3.8 yards per carry when Smith is on the field, 4.6 yards when he’s not.

“Nolan has been doing well,” Fangio said Tuesday. “Obviously, speed and athleticism are his forte, which is good. We need that. And he’s been able to offset being kind of small for an edge position.”

Huff fulfilled a fourth rung while playing with his cast. That slot now belongs to Hunt. The third-round rookie, at 6-3, 252-pounds, specialized in stopping the run at Houston Christian after literally outgrowing his role as a safety while playing at Cornell. Hunt’s snaps before Huff’s injury were sparse (17), but he still recorded a sack. Hunt played a season-high 25 snaps against the Dallas Cowboys, and the Eagles surrendered 5.6 yards per rush and secured one sack while Hunt was in the game.

Hunt didn’t play on defense the following game against the Washington Commanders. Hunt said he didn’t sub in because Fangio was playing the “hot hand.” Sweat, Graham and Smith each sacked Jayden Daniels once. But Hunt said his experience against the Cowboys taught him he’s got to be decisive on the field. “When there’s doubt, there’s two options,” he said. He’s making sure “there’s one option,” whether he’s playing against the pass or the run, and just “doing it to my full ability — right or wrong.”

Hunt leans into all of his resources. But he often finds himself spending most of his time with his lockermate, Smith. Their year apart unites them in banter against the older vets. “Nolan’s always looking out for me,” Hunt grinned. Of course, Hunt learns from Graham, Sweat and Huff. But Smith, who played in just 16 percent of the defense’s snaps as a rookie, has a more immediate memory of the things he’s going through. It benefits Smith, too.

“He reminds me so much of myself,” said Smith, whose 3.5 are tied with Jalen Carter for second-most on the team. “Just when I look at him and he’s bringing that energy. I just tell him, ‘Man, keep doing that, because I feed off that, too.’ Like, I have my days, and when I have my days and I look at him, and I’ll be like, ‘Man, I remember I used to be that kid,’ and I’ll just keep going.”

Their matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday offers intrigue. Only 10 other quarterbacks have a lower sack percentage on their pass attempts than Matthew Stafford (5.7 percent), according to TruMedia. But the sacks secured by Rams rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske (5) and edge rusher Jared Verse (4.5) rank both first and second in the 2024 draft class.

Taking either player would’ve required the Eagles to trade up. Verse, No. 19 overall, was drafted three slots before the Eagles picked Quinyon Mitchell. Fiske, No. 39, was taken one spot before the Eagles selected Cooper DeJean. Fangio said the Eagles “were very high on and like” both Verse and Fiske. But “as the draft is,” Fangio added, “you only get your certain amount of picks, and guys are gone or there’s somebody there that you take.”

Philadelphia is far from a position to be regretting their choices. Mitchell and DeJean are both starting in a deeply improved secondary that desperately needed to be fixed. The Eagles, who’d already signed Huff, chose to add to their portfolio by taking Hunt in the third round. And, so long as Huff is sidelined, it’s Hunt who must ensure their depth doesn’t bottom out.

(Top photo of Bryce Huff: Cooper Neill / AP)