‘We just have to rush quicker’: Eagles pass rushers aspire to get to the quarterback more frequently

Eagles top edge rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat believe they’re capable of causing havoc in the backfield on any given play.

Sweat is coming off the best year of his career. He was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2021 after he recorded 45 tackles and a career-best 7½ sacks. Meanwhile, Reddick was one of the team’s top offseason additions. He signed a three-year deal worth $45 million after he tallied 23½ sacks over the past two seasons.

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Neither Sweat nor Reddick managed to sack Lions quarterback Jared Goff in the regular season opener. The Eagles finished with just one combined sack between Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham.

“Nobody should be alarmed about anything on Week 1,” Reddick said. “You feel me? It’s Week 1 — it’s the first real action. There are a lot of things that go into it. You can tell how good a team is by what they correct from Week 1 to Week 2.”

Reddick failed to register a quarterback pressure, while Sweat had two quarterback hits.

“I look at it from both sides,” Sweat said. “We can find ways to shave time. We would get to [Goff], and he’d already have the ball out. We just have to rush quicker. But at the same time, sometimes we might’ve had sacks there for our taking, and we just weren’t able to take him down for various reasons.”

Heading into the season, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon made it known that he wanted to get to the quarterback more frequently. Last season, the Eagles finished second-to-last in sacks. They emphasized that department with the addition of Reddick, plus the return of Graham from a torn Achilles.

Asked about his initial impressions of the defense’s pressure on the quarterback, Gannon didn’t buckle.

“Good,” he said. “We hurried them a couple times; we hit them a couple times. The one pick, I think that was defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu [who] made the guard miss, and he smokes Jared Goff. But again, how they played that game was the ball was coming out fast, they maxed us up a couple times, so when you see that, you kind of adjust a little bit.

“I think I was happy where it was, and we want to continue to improve that part of our game, too.”

The Eagles boast the proper personnel to get in the backfield. However, Gannon has frequently favored dropping more players into coverage as opposed to sending them toward the quarterback. During Week 1, the Eagles registered the 29th lowest blitz percentage in the league.

“At some point, I just feel like I have to make a play that affects the game because that’s what I was brought here to do,” Reddick said. “While I did a lot of good things, I don’t think I really made a game-changing play. But it’s Week 1. I’m not worried about that. I have 16 more weeks, 16 more opportunities, and I know everything I’m looking to accomplish will come.”

The next opportunity will be Monday night, when the Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins in the home opener at Lincoln Financial Field.

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Unfortunately for the Eagles, their depth took a big hit in Week 1. Veteran defensive end Derek Barnett, who re-signed with the team in free agency, sustained a torn ACL. With Barnett expected to miss the remainder of the season, coach Nick Sirianni alluded to second-year defensive end Tarron Jackson receiving more playing time. The team also signed defensive end Janarius Robinson off of the Vikings practice squad.

Jackson has plenty of potential, but he’s yet to turn that into consistent production. He was a sixth-round pick out of Costal Carolina in 2021. Jackson appeared in a limited role last season over 17 games. He recorded 18 tackles, including two tackles for loss and one quarterback hit. Throughout the summer, he flashed as one of the team’s most improved players. Despite his efforts, Jackson was listed as a healthy scratch during the season opener.

“Tarron is ready to go,” Sweat said. “He’s been ready to go. We believe in him. We trust him. He’s ready. He’s been working. Since last year, he’s been working. I’ve seen more progress out of him than I’ve seen out of anybody.”

Added Sirianni: “Tarron wasn’t up ... but how quickly can it turn from you not being up for a game to you having a significant role. If you’re a backup, you’re one snap away from going in. That’s how it’s going to play for Tarron. My heart breaks for Derek. I’m looking forward to Tarron getting more reps.”

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday