The latest news from around the division.
Eagles signing a veteran edge rusher in free agency – Dave Zangaro, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Philadelphia adds some defensive depth on the edge.
The Eagles are signing veteran edge rusher Joshua Uche to a one-year deal, a league source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the agreement.
Uche, 26, was a second-round pick in 2020 out of Michigan and played the first four and a half years with the Patriots before being traded to the Chiefs for a sixth-round pick in October.
Uche has 20 1/2 career sacks and 34 quarterback hits in his five-year NFL career. His best season came in 2022, when he had 11 1/2 sacks with the Patriots.
After getting traded to the Chiefs in 2024, Uche barely played. He played just 87 defensive snaps in the regular season after the trade, 50 of which came in the regular season finale, and was inactive four times. Uche did not play for the Chiefs at all in the 2024 postseason and was inactive for Super Bowl LIX against the Eagles.
In his only career game against the Eagles in the 2023 season opener, Uche sacked Jalen Hurts. The Eagles got a close look at Uche during their joint practice against the Patriots in New England in August before the 2024 season. Uche was active and even got in a little scuffle that day.
In that impressive 2022 season, in addition to 11 1/2 sacks, Uche generated 49 pressures and had a career-best pressure rate of 18.5%. Even though his sack numbers dipped, Uche had a pressure rate of 15.3% in 2023 and was at 13.6% in New England last year before the trade to Kansas City. The Eagles will hope to get Uche back to playing at that level in Vic Fangio’s defense.
WR Darius Slayton Explains Why He Decided to Return to the Giants – Patricia Traina, Sports Illustrated
One of the longest-tenured Giants chose to stick with the G-Men.
At the end of last year, it wasn’t hard to miss how New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton was worn down from the physical beatings he took week in and week out, only to end up part of a team that recorded a franchise-worse 3-14 record.
Slayton, one of the more underrated receivers in the league, had his options in free agency.
He easily could have gone elsewhere for a fresh start, and probably few would have blamed him if he had, especially after the Giants, last spring, declined to give him the extension that he eventually received this week in the form of a three-year, $36 million deal.
But after much reflection, Slayton, the Giants’ fifth-round draft pick in 2019 and one of two longest-tenured team members, returned to the only NFL team he’s ever known.
“I think that’s what free agency is all about,” Slayton told reporters via video call on Thursday.
“It gives you a chance to sit back and reflect and be able to look at what other opportunities you have out there and look at other teams, as well as evaluate the team and the organization you’re already a part of, that I’ve been a part of for some time. Through this process, I ended up being a Giant and happy to still be a Giant.”
Why?
“At the end of the day, I’ve enjoyed my six years here as a Giant. I’ve enjoyed my teammates here. I enjoy working with the people in this building,” he said.
“Obviously, we haven’t won as many games as I would have liked, but I believe we can win more games in the future. And honestly, other than that, I really couldn’t tell you much bad about my experience being a Giant.”
Commanders finally sign an edge rusher – Bryan Martin, Commanders Wire
Washington is another division team adding edge rusher depth.
The Washington Commanders have signed a pass rusher. On Thursday night, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Washington agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $3 million with Jacob Martin.
Martin, 29, entered the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 NFL draft. After one season in Seattle, the Seahawks traded Martin to the Houston Texans, where he spent three seasons. In 2022, Martin signed a three-year deal with the New York Jets, but midway through his first season, Martin was traded again, this time to the Denver Broncos.
After finishing the 2022 season with the Broncos, Martin was released. He re-signed with the Texans after the 2023 NFL draft but was released during final cuts in August. He signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts, followed by one year with the Chicago Bears. In 11 games with the Bears in 2024, Martin had three sacks.
In seven NFL seasons, Martin has appeared in 102 games with 15 starts. He has 100 career tackles, including 19 for loss, and 21 sacks.
The 6-foot-2, 242-pound Martin is a departure from the other defensive linemen the Commanders have added this week. Martin is an edge rusher, something Washington desperately needs, but will have to compete to earn a roster spot this summer. Washington has been linked to every available — or unhappy — pass rusher, from Myles Garrett to Trey Hendrickson. The Commanders opted against signing any of the top pass rushers available during free agency this week.
Unless Washington pulls off a trade for Hendrickson, expect the Commanders to target an edge rusher high in the 2025 NFL draft.
