Jonathan Greenard can't wait to play next to Eagles' stud DTs

Jonathan Greenard can't wait to play next to Eagles' stud DTs  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles haven’t even gotten to training camp yet and Jonathan Greenard is already excited to play with Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

Really excited.

“I think about it all the time,” Greenard said last week. “It’s going to be fun, man, because those are two guys who are selfless but also understand how much impact they can have on the game. I just told them when I got here, ‘Look, I feed off of y’all. I’m just going to let y’all do y’all thing’ and I’ll eventually obviously read and see how they like to play vs. certain opponents. But I’m not here to slow y’all down.”

The Eagles traded for Greenard during the draft and will make him their top-of-the-rotation edge rusher this season. Greenard, 29, was a Pro Bowler just two years ago and should bolster the Eagles’ pass rush.

Over the last few years, the Eagles have stressed group rush and that likely won’t change in 2026. They have a strong group on the edge with Greenard, Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith and a strong interior trio with Carter, Davis and Moro Ojomo.

Greenard is excited to play next to defensive tackles who demand attention.

“Just knowing that those two guys who can just take and dominate the entire game, change the whole game plan, change the whole protection for slides and stuff like that,” he said. “Having that as an advantage is going to be great as an edge guy. Every edge guy is going to tell you that. You got two guys like that inside pushing the pocket, just causing disruption, it makes our job a whole lot easier.”

Because he’s coming off of shoulder surgery in December, Greenard was held back from team drills this spring but still participated in individual drills. Jalen Carter also didn’t participate in team drills.

So as excited as Greenard is to line up next to Carter and Davis, he hasn’t gotten that opportunity yet. Despite that, he already feels like he has a good sense of how they’ll work together.

“I watched film of them a good bit,” Greenard said. “ My first week here a couple weeks ago, we sat down as a unit and kind of talked about how we wanted to run certain games and what do they like to do, what’s their favorite moves and things of that sort, what’s my favorite moves and things of that sort. But yeah, we kind of worked it a little bit today, just trying to get on the same page, which is great. 

“We’ve already got the chemistry. I already know how they’re going to play already. I just add what I’ve been doing already. I don’t really play like an unorthodox style. I can kind of fit into any scheme. But ultimately, man, those guys make my job easier. I don’t have to say much. They’re like, ‘Hey, listen, if I tell you to go, just go. I’ll clean up the rest.’ Or vice versa. I think that’s just that balance that we’re going to have. They understand what they can do, I understand what I can do. I think that when we put it all together, which we’re trying to do right now, I think it’s going to be good.”

Even though he’s just entering Year 7 of his NFL career, Greenard is already one of the most experienced starters on the Eagles’ defense. He and Zack Baun both came into the NFL in the 2020 draft and recently reminisced about their paths to becoming teammates.

Greenard now headlines an edge rusher room that includes two young and talented players in Hunt and Smith. He expects big things from both of them in 2026.

“Jalyx and Nolan, their game is only going to continue to grow,” Greenard said. “And I think my job here is just to continue to help them with that. Any two cents I can add, I’m going to do that to make sure that they get to that point that I know they want to get to.”

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