After several days of waiting, the Philadelphia Eagles have added an edge rusher — Arnold Ebiketie.
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported the Eagles signed Ebiketie late Thursday night. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the deal as a 1-year, $7.3 million contract including incentives.
Ebiketie will receive $4.3 million fully guaranteed.
Ebiketie came into the league as a hyped second-round pick. The Atlanta Falcons drafted the edge rusher at No. 38 overall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
But burdened with the responsibility early in his career of being Atlanta’s top pass rusher, he failed to develop into a No. 1 edge rusher. He then didn’t play as much after the Falcons added two edge rushers in the first round last year.
Ebiketie peaked with six sacks in both 2023 and 2024.
Last season, Ebiketie posted 36 combined tackles, including five for loss, six quarterback hits, two sacks and one pass defense.
Eagles Sign Edge Rusher Arnold Ebiketie: Report
NFL insiders reported the Eagles wanted to bring back Jaelan Phillips early in free agency. Phillips ended the 2025 campaign in Philadelphia after the team acquired him for a third-round pick from the Miami Dolphins.
But the Carolina Panthers offered Phillips a mammoth deal. After missing on Phillips, the Eagles pursued the other top edge rushers still available, including Trey Hendrickson.
Hendrickson, though, landed with the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. Fellow veteran Bradley Chubb, who NJ.com’s Cayden Steele suggested as a potential Plan B to Hendrickson (or Plan C to Phillips), signed with the Buffalo Bills.
After those misses, Ebiketie is the first edge rusher the Eagles have added this offseason.
Most would probably consider him a consolation prize at best. At worst, he’s a significantly disappointing alternative to Phillips or Hendrickson.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper didn’t include Ebiketie on his list of top 150 NFL free agents this offseason. Meanwhile, 20 other edge rushers did make the list.
However, Ebiketie did come into the league four years ago with great raw talent. And the Eagles have been tremendous at developing young defensive linemen.
Maybe on a unit with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, Ebiketie can take advantage of more one-on-one opportunities.
While he could earn up to $7.3 million, there’s little risk for the Eagles taking a chance on Ebiketie. He’s coming on only a 1-year deal, and it sounds as though he could cost as little as $4.3 million if he doesn’t fulfill his contract incentives.
In four NFL seasons, Ebiketie has started 12 of 67 contests. He’s posted 16.5 sacks with 17 tackles for loss, 41 quarterback hits, six pass defenses and four forced fumbles.
Eagles Edge Rushing Depth Entering 2026
Eagles fans may have been getting a little anxious with the team’s inability to land an edge rusher through nearly the first four days of free agency. Therefore, signing Ebiketie is simply good for the fact that Philadelphia has added someone to the edge room.
In addition to Phillips, the Eagles lost Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche along the edge in free agency. The defense also saw linebacker Nakobe Dean and safety Reed Blankenship sign elsewhere.
With that in mind, Ebiketie is probably just the beginning of what the Eagles could add at edge rusher. Philadelphia has three edge players to replace, and Ebiketie hasn’t been reliable enough in his career to be counted on as a certain starter on a playoff team.
But in the right rotation, Ebiketie could still thrive. That’s why he’s worth the risk at a maximum of $7.3 million in 2026.