The Philadelphia Eagles made a flurry of roster moves on Wednesday as they closed out mandatory minicamp, including signing a promising edge rusher and former 2nd round pick in former Buffalo Bills standout A.J. Epenesa.
“Eagles signed former Bills DE A.J. Epenesa,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account. “Epenesa originally was Buffalo’s 2020 second-round pick. He planned to sign with the Browns in March, but didn’t pass his physical. Now he lands in Philadelphia.”
Epenesa spent the 1st 6 seasons of his career with the Bills, including 3 consecutive seasons with at least 6.0 sacks from 2022 through 2024.
“Former Bills second-round pick A.J. Epenesa has a new home,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on his official X account. “He’s signed with the Eagles, the team announced.”
The Eagles also terminated edge rusher Za’Darius Smith from the reserve/retirement list, which allows him to sign with another team. Philadelphia also signed offensive lineman Michael Jordan and released linebackers Chandler Martin and Isiah King.
“Former Pro Bowl edge Za’Darius Smith was released off the Eagles reserve/retired list today, an indication that he’s open to playing in the right situation,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account. “Smith played five games last season before a surprise retirement, but is still only 33 years old.”
Epenesa ‘Top Trade Candidate’ Before 2025 Season
Epenesa was singled out by Bleacher Report as a “Top Trade Candidate” for the Bills before the 2025 season.
“If the Bills are going to send a player packing in a trade, Epenesa still makes the most sense,” Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote in June 2025. “It’s simply a numbers game. The Bills just gave (Joey) Bosa over $12 million to come to Buffalo in 2025. Gregory Rousseau received a four-year, $80 million extension that included $54 million in guarantees this spring. The team used a third-round pick in this year’s draft on LSU’s Landon Jackson.”
‘Prove It’ Year for NFL Future Didn’t Pan Out
Epenesa, 27, was in the final season of the 2-year, $12 million contract he signed in March 2024 and was playing for big-time money in the 2026 free-agent cycle — something that didn’t pan out after he finished with just 2.5 sacks and 9 QB hits in 16 games.
With the Eagles, if Epenesa is truly healthy, he will likely get a chance to make an impact for a team that has plenty of uncertainty at 1 of their starting edge rusher spots.
After trading for Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and signing him to a 4-year, $98 million contract extension, the Eagles haven’t shown they have faith that Jalyx Hunt or Nolan Smith Jr. can be the standout they want at the other starting spot.
The Eagles haven’t exactly shown a lot of faith in the edge rushers they’ve drafted and developed in recent years. Most notably, the Eagles chose to give New York Jets edge rusher Bryce Huff a 3-year, $51.1 million free-agent contract before the 2024 season and let veteran edge rusher Josh Sweat play on a 1-year, $10 million contract.
While Huff bottomed out and wasn’t even on the roster for a run to a Super Bowl win, Sweat led the Eagles in sacks and was dominant in the playoffs, which led to him leaving for a 4-year, $76.4 million free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
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