Eagles add former Penn State edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie on 1-year deal

The Eagles are continuing to patch up the edge rusher room in free agency, reportedly agreeing to a one-year deal with former Falcons pass rusher Arnold Ebiketie worth up to $7.3 million.

The contract includes $4.3 million guaranteed and represents another classic low-risk swing by Howie Roseman, the type of move that doesn’t dominate headlines but could quietly pay off if things break right.

Ebiketie, 27, entered the league as a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after finishing his college career at Penn State. Before that, he spent several seasons at Temple, so there’s already a strong Philly-area connection baked into this signing.

Now he gets a chance to reboot his career with a team that has a very obvious need for edge help.

Eagles betting on upside with Arnold Ebiketie

The Eagles are adding edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie (@Schultz_Report reported first.)

Ebiketie, 27, had back-to-back seasons with six sacks in 2023 and 2024 and has started 11 games in four seasons. He finished his college career at Penn State (after transferring from Temple) and…

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) March 13, 2026

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The Eagles aren’t signing Ebiketie for what he did last year, they’re betting on what he looked like a couple seasons ago.

Across four seasons with Atlanta, Ebiketie played in 67 games with 12 starts, finishing with 16.5 sacks, 41 QB hits, and 17 tackles for loss. His most productive stretch came in 2023 and 2024, when he logged six sacks in each season and flashed the kind of burst teams look for in rotational pass rushers.

Last year was a different story. Ebiketie finished with just two sacks in 17 games, and his role shrank as Atlanta poured resources into the position and drafted multiple edge rushers in the first round.

Still, the underlying numbers tell a slightly better story. Ebiketie recorded 29 pressures and a 16.4% pressure rate, which is right in the same neighborhood as some of the Eagles’ better pass-rush efficiency numbers from last season.

Translation: the sack totals didn’t show up, but the disruption still did.

That’s the kind of profile that screams buy-low candidate.

Eagles needed bodies on the edge

Before signing Ebiketie, the Eagles were looking awfully thin at edge rusher.

The current group included Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Ta’Quon Graham, and Jose Ramirez, which is not exactly the deepest room in the league. The front office also made an attempt to bring back Jaelan Phillips, but he ended up cashing in with a massive $120 million deal from the Carolina Panthers.

So instead, the Eagles pivoted to a cheaper upside play.

It’s also worth noting that Brandon Graham still hasn’t officially signed for 2026, even though the 37-year-old has made it clear he’d like to return for a 17th NFL season. If that reunion happens, Ebiketie likely slides into a rotational role behind Smith and Graham while competing for snaps.

But if Graham doesn’t return, suddenly this signing becomes a lot more important.

Classic Howie Roseman move

This signing feels like a very familiar Eagles free agency play.

Instead of chasing the top of the market, the Eagles identified a player who once flashed legitimate pass-rush ability, saw his value dip, and decided to take a one-year shot on him. If Ebiketie rebounds and gives them six or seven sacks, it’s a massive win for a relatively modest contract.

If not, it’s a short-term deal that won’t hurt them moving forward.

Either way, it’s another example of Roseman quietly working the margins while continuing to reshape the roster this offseason.

And with the Eagles still likely adding more help on the edgem, whether through the draft or another veteran signing, Ebiketie might not be the final move at the position. But he’s a sensible first step.