Zack Baun’s story means something to Josh Uche.
A year ago, Baun signed a one-year deal with the Eagles. After four years with the Saints, Baun bet on himself and ended up becoming a starting linebacker, an All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion, cashing in on a three-year, $51 million extension this offseason.
That type of outcome is obviously pretty unlikely for Uche, but Baun’s story made him think that his one-year prove-it deal in Philly really could work out.
“It just shows what kind of organization this is,” Uche said after Monday’s practice. “They’re able to bring guys in, give them a chance, build around them, help them fulfill their potential and help turn them into something beautiful. It just says a lot about the organization, it says a lot about the players, says a lot about the coaching.”
Uche has known Baun since they came out in the same draft class in 2020 and they stayed in touch as Baun went to New Orleans and Uche went to New England before being traded to Kansas City during last season.
This offseason, speaking with Baun pushed Uche in the Eagles’ direction.
“When I talked to him about coming here to Philly, I could just see it in his eyes what Philly meant to him,” Uche said. “Being me, coming from New England, being in the situation I was in and all that stuff. That energy, I fed off that instantly. I felt it. So from there, I felt that this was the best place to give me that chance that I know to capitalize on what I can do.”
Uche isn’t the only veteran edge rusher on a one-year deal with the Eagles in 2025. In addition to the 26-year-old Uche, the Eagles also signed 25-year-old Azeez Ojulari to bolster a pass rusher group that lost Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Bryce Huff from last season.
The Eagles entered this training camp with Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt as their top returning edge rushers, but Uche and Ojulari have added a veteran presence in the meeting room and the Eagles are hoping they’ll provide some much-needed depth in 2025.
“Me and Uche go way back, working out in the offseason together and stuff,” Ojulari said. “I always knew him when he was with the Patriots. That’s my Nigerian brother right there. And it’s great to connect here together now.”
While Uche and Ojulari both have NFL experience, their careers have been very different. But there’s a reason both were available on one-year deals.
Uche entered the league in 2020 and had one big season in 2022 with 11 1/2 sacks. But he has never had more than 3 in any other season. Ojulari, meanwhile, has been more productive with 22 sacks in 46 games over four years with the Giants but he hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year in 2021 and has managed to play just 29 of 51 games since 2022.
The Eagles’ projected starters this season are Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt, who enter their third and second seasons, respectively, in 2025. Both Uche and Ojulari have more experience, which has created an usual dynamic in the meeting room that seems to be working great.
“The energy is meshing, man,” Uche said. “Pass rushers all usually have a similar personality. It’s a melting pot of a room now. You have young guys like Jalyx, young guys like Nolan who are coming off a Super Bowl so their energy is high and their energy is contagious. You got me and Azeez, we’ve got experience in the league.
“Different experience, different viewpoints. We’re able to try and implement it into the young guys’ games. Just feeding off of each other. There’s things that they’ve seen and their experience in the system that they can help us with and there’s things we’ve seen from different places that can help them grow their game.”
The Eagles last season had 41 sacks, which ranked tied for 15th in the NFL. But the Eagles were able to generate more pressure as the season went on and then they had six sacks on Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX. It was a rush-by-committee approach in 2024 and that’s likely going to be the case in 2025. The Eagles might not have a superstar edge rusher but they do have talent up and down the line that just needs to work together and with Jalen Carter and Co. on the inside.
Through the first few training camp practices this summer, all of these top four edge rushers have gotten at least some reps against the first-team offense, which means matchups against Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.
After going against them in the NFC East, Ojulari is happy to actually get a chance to really benefit from having Johnson and Mailata around.
“It’s amazing. We’re on the same team now,” Ojulari said. “I get to learn from them in practice and take it into my game and push myself and get better every single day because I’m seeing them consistently now. I’m just going to continue to improve.”
The Eagles signed Uche pretty early in free agency, agreeing to terms with him on March 13, while Ojulari joined the team four days later. Just before training camp, Uche changed his number from 13 to 0 so that Ojulari could take 13, the number he wore in college.
Not only was Uche happy to give up the number to his buddy, but taking over 0 had significance to him too.
“I felt like you gotta start at ground zero,” Uche said. “I’ve been at the top of my pass rushing game in my third year. But you gotta start at ground zero and work your way back up.”
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