Nolan Smith is looking to have a Von Miller type of impact for Eagles in 2025
Nolan Smith: "Watching Von Miller in (Fangio's) defense made me want to be the person I am today. Relentless. Like, who is that guy? What does he do during the offseason? Why is he always at the ball? ...Coach Fangio, watching him and how he molded those guys, it's nothing for me… https://t.co/tfw57YquI1 — Zach Berman (@ZBerm) June 4, 2025
Nolan Smith has spent his first two NFL seasons making daily improvements and developing into one of the top young pass rushers in the league. With Brandon Graham's retirement now official, the former Georgia linebacker is aware that he'll need to take his game to an elite level for Philadelphia to return to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles held their fifth OTA session on Tuesday, and following the practice, Smith discussed his outlook on 2025 and what steps he'll need to take to emulate Graham's impact on the franchise.
While Jalen Carter has been a star since Day 1, Smith has quietly and intensely carved out a role in the NFL. As a rookie, Smith recorded 18 tackles and 1.0 sacks in 17 regular-season games.
Playing behind Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham, the former Georgia star linebacker didn't play more than eight defensive snaps in a game until Week 12. Smith's coming-out party came during the Eagles' postseason run, when the confident former Georgia star made plays in every game, including the Super Bowl 59 win.
In Year 2, he became an every-down contributor for the Eagles, playing 755 snaps in 2024 and grading out better against the run (74.0) than as a pass-rusher (68.3), but still managed to generate 50 pressures according to PFF.
Smith was the Eagles' best pass rusher down the stretch, and he likely gained more respect from his teammates after playing through a torn Triceps. Smith had four tackles and two sacks in the wild-card round win over Green Bay. Smith, who finished 2nd on the defense with a career-high 6.5 sacks in the regular season, had the most pressures (13) among NFL players in the playoffs last year. Smith's 4.5 sacks last postseason are the most ever recorded by an Eagle during a single playoff run.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Matt LaFleur sees ‘night and day' shift in Jordan Love's vocal leadership
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has been to the playoffs both years as a starter and flashed some elite potential. However, there was one area in particular that Matt LaFleur wanted his quarterback to grow in coming out of last season. "I think the next step is just to continue to evolve as a vocal leader," LaFleur said back in January. "That just comes with the position naturally. I think he's taken steps to get there, but I think he can really demand a lot because the locker room respects him." Fast forward over six months, and it sounds like Love really took his head coach's challenge to heart. LaFleur told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that he has seen a significant difference in his vocal leadership compared to last year. "Night and day," LaFleur told Fowler. "Even from last year, and I thought he took a big jump last year. Way more presence. As the kids say, he's got aura." Since Love arrived in Green Bay in 2020, he has become a core member of the locker room. As LaFleur mentioned, that comes with the territory when you're named the franchise quarterback, but Love has genuinely earned the respect of his teammates. But after two straight seasons that ended with premature exits from the playoffs, that respect needs to turn into results. Soon. Entering the 2025 season, increasing the sense of urgency and accountability has been a major point of emphasis. At the start of training camp, Josh Jacobs talked about the improvement in intensity compared to last year and discussed how his role as a leader sometimes requires him to ruffle feathers. "One thing about being a leader, it's not always easy, and it's not always doing what's comfortable," he said. "Sometimes you got to ruffle feathers, sometimes you got to hold people accountable. That's something I try to do, I try to say the things that people are afraid to say." This is also something LaFleur wanted to see out of Love. "(His teammates) all respect him, but when things aren't quite right, I think he can voice that as well, when guys aren't doing quite what they are supposed to be doing," said LaFleur. "He's one of the guys I talk to about that. It just means more when it comes from your quarterback than from me or one of our other coaches." While Love will look to hold guys accountable this season, how far the Packers go will depend heavily on how well he plays. With just over a month until the season opener, Love has looked sharp in camp. "You can see the urgency he's playing with right now," LaFleur said. "A lot of times in this [era], you're going to go as far as your quarterback goes. But it does take everybody around him playing at a high level." Green Bay hopes to distinguish itself as a legit Super Bowl contender in 2025, but to do so, Love will need his arm to be as sharp as his voice and his supporting cast to follow his lead.
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
Steelers countdown to kickoff — No. 33: a history of the number and who wore it best
The Steelers countdown to kickoff is here — and we're at 33 days until Pittsburgh faces off against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. In the spirit of the countdown, we're taking a look at the history of No. 33 and the players who wore it best. Current Steelers No. 33 wearer: OLB Jack Sawyer Projected as one of the biggest steals of the 2025 NFL Draft, rookie OLB Jack Sawyer is the current No. 33 wearer on the Steelers roster. Selected with the 123rd pick of the fourth round, Sawyer checks all the boxes coming out of college — a perfect complement to an already loaded OLB room and a surefire lock to make the 53-man roster. Best No. 33 in Steelers history: RB John "French" Fuqua One of the most memorable Steelers of the '70s — RB John "Frenchy" Fuqua is the greatest wearer of No. 33. The New York Giants selected Fuqua with the 273rd pick in the 11th round of the 1969 NFL/AFL Draft — but he was traded to Pittsburgh after just one season. In his seven years as a Steeler, Fuqua produced 4,178 yards from scrimmage and 24 total touchdowns. He also played a massive role in Steelers and NFL history — as he was QB Terry Bradshaw's intended target on the pass that led to the Immaculate Reception from the legendary RB Franco Harris. Frenchy Fuqua would win two Super Bowls with Pittsburgh before retiring in 1977 — leaving behind a legacy deserving of the title: best Steeler to ever wear No. 33. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
Wall Street Journal
28 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
The Skyrocketing Price for the NFL's Sack Machines
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons has become one of the sport's premier edge rushers with a unique blend of speed and strength, along with an insatiable thirst for pummeling quarterbacks. But last week, he pulled out an entirely different type of move.
