PHILADELPHIA —Eagles edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie is only making $4.3 million as the team’s fourth pass rusher this season.
Ebiketie is playing on a cheap one-year deal, but the Eagles have provided a good situation for him even though he’s not making a ton of money.
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He played 91.1% of the defensive snaps (72) in the team’s Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Now, he could make his first start of the season against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night after starting edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Jalyx Hunt were listed as questionable. Edge rusher Nolan Smith was also ruled out after suffering a concussion last week.
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Ebiketie signed with the Eagles this past offseason after spending four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Before getting demoted to a rotational role in 2025, he recorded 14.5 sacks over three seasons as a starter.
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The Eagles gave Ebiketie a fresh start. He feels rejuvenated.
“I’m more at ease,” Ebiketie told NJ.com on Saturday. “I’m not stressed at all.”
Ebiketie knows what’s at stake this season.
When he becomes a free agent in March, the 27-year-old pass rusher could draw more interest from other NFL teams and earn a bigger contract if he plays well for the Eagles.
“Obviously, that’s the case,” Ebiketie said about wanting to improve his value as an impending free agent. “But mentally in the past, given the fact that last year I was in the final year of my contract in Atlanta, I felt like that came into play a little bit and sometimes was a distraction.
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“I feel like this year for me, it’s just one snap at a time. Every time I go out there, I am trying to put my best foot forward. At the end of the day, at the end of the year, you’re going to look back and see what you put on film. That’s who you are.”
Ebiketie recorded a career-low 18 tackles and two sacks during his final season with the Falcons. He might have cost himself money.
“It was a little bit of both,” Ebiketie said about feeling frustrated and worried last season. “When the organization drafted two guys [in the first round], it’s probably an indication that they are moving in a different direction. Having to worry about everything and not really having the same opportunity that I had in the years past got me to think further out [about my future]. From that standpoint, I grew from that because I could have just focused on what I was doing, and I think that led me to miss a couple opportunities. I worried about things that I shouldn’t be worried about.”
Nearly a year removed from that situation, Ebiketie no longer fixates on his snap count. He’s more focused on being efficient and productive.
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“It just helped me understand how to maneuver through that,” Ebiketie said about playing in a rotation. “And at the end of the day, it really comes down to what you put on tape with the snaps you get. I mean, you can’t complain about it if you’re not making the most of what you got. You don’t really have much to go off on.”
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Ebiketie has racked up 18 tackles and two quarterback hits, while playing 47 percent of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps.
Can he get his first sack against the Cowboys? The Eagles need it.
“Over the past couple years, my run defense has definitely taken that step,” Ebiketie said. “Just also understanding defenses a little bit more, especially in Vic Fangio’s system. It allows you to have a broader understanding of defenses and coverages and stuff. Just because we have to do a little more stuff when it comes to dropping in coverage, rushing and stopping the run.”
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