Eagles landed Za’Darius Smith thanks to a Rams alum and now face LA in Week 3

The Eagles have made a habit of scooping up difference-makers, but their latest move has a little Hollywood twist.

When All-Pro pass rusher Za’Darius Smith signed in Philadelphia a few weeks ago, it wasn’t just the front office doing the talking. It was a former Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl champ, now also wearing midnight green, who sold him on the city, the locker room, and the culture.

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Ogbo Okoronkwo, drafted by the Rams in 2018 and a member of Sean McVay’s championship roster, shared his experiences with Smith after the two overlapped in Cleveland. His pitch worked. Smith said he had plenty of teams calling, but Philly felt like home after hearing from Ogbo. He even singled out senior adviser Dom DiSandro and talked about the culture in the Eagles’ locker room. That’s not just a free-agent signing; that’s a network in action.

Eagles vs. Rams: The Culture Clash Behind Sunday’s Game

All of this is perfectly timed for Week 3. The Eagles will face the Rams, the very team whose “no enemies on our sidelines” motto helped create the relationships that landed Smith in Philadelphia. The McVay-era Rams built a juggernaut from 2018–2021, winning a Super Bowl, two NFC titles, and pushing out coaches and players who spread that culture across the league. Now, one of those ripple effects is lining up on the edge for Philly.

For the Eagles, it’s not just another Sunday. It’s a matchup against the blueprint that, indirectly, helped them build their own defensive depth. Smith will be chasing Matthew Stafford thanks in part to a Rams alum who once did the same thing. That’s a wild full-circle moment.

Why This Matters for the Eagles’ Season

The Eagles already have one of the nastiest front sevens in football, and Smith adds more veteran juice and pass-rush flexibility. If he flashes against LA, it’s going to feel like poetic justice, Philly benefiting from the Rams’ culture while also taking aim at the team that built it.

Smith summed up his approach perfectly: “Take it one week at a time and go 1-0 each and every week.” For the Eagles, it’s a chance to keep stacking wins while showing how relationships and culture can matter just as much as cap space and draft picks.

This is exactly the type of storyline Philly fans live for, the Eagles getting stronger because of somebody else’s blueprint, then turning around and using it against them on game day.