What was the Eagles best move of the offseason?

The Philadelphia Eagles traded up and drafted wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 20 overall pick, but it wasn’t the best offseason move they made, according to The Athletic's Mike Sando

Beyond the Draft: The Best Offseason Move

Sando sees the addition of veteran edge rusher Jonathan Greenard as the team’s best move this offseason.

Greenard, 29, had only three sacks last season after collecting at least 12 in each of the previous two, partly because of a shoulder injury that shortened his season and required surgery.

Greenard quickly becomes a top pass rusher for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to weave into his defensive scheme.

Jonathan Greenard’s Fit in Vic Fangio’s Scheme

"He's been productive in the rush," Fangio said when asked about his new weapon on May 21. He's had years where he's had good numbers sack-wise, but like we always discuss, pressure on the quarterback is also important, and he's been able to do that throughout his career."

On top of his abilities as a pass rusher, Greenard is also strong on the edge against the run.

"I think he's strong on the edge versus the run game," Fangio explained. We're excited to have him, but I think there's a lot of good there."

The Veteran is coming off a down year, dealing with injuries in Minnesota, where he notched just three sacks over 12 games last season after back-to-back seasons with at least a dozen sacks.

Overall, in 77 career games, Greenard has notched 38 total sacks

To show what kind of impact the Eagles think Greenard can make, they sent Minnesota a 2026 and 2027 third-round pick and then signed Greenard to a four-year, $100 million deal with $50 million guaranteed.

Don't Sleep on Riq Woolen

Greenard, however, isn’t the only newcomer on the Eagles' defense that is worth watching.  The team also added veteran cornerback Riq Woolen, who won a Super Bowl last season with the Seattle Seahawks, and ESPN's Bill Barnwell thinks that adding him was their best move of the offseason.

Bringing in Woolen upgrades the Eagles at two spots. In their nickel subpackage, Woolen's size and ability to disrupt routes should appeal to Fangio. The former Seahawks corner has allowed a passer rating under 80 in each of his first four seasons as a pro. He'll also play on the outside when the Eagles are in their base defense, allowing DeJean to move to safety in four-DB sets, which will help the Eagles cover for the departed Reed Blankenship.

"I'm excited to have him," Fangio admitted. We looked at him during the middle of the season last year, a little bit, because they may have been interested in trading him. But then, when it came to free agency time this year, and I actually sat down and watched him thoroughly, I was excited for him and kind of surprised that he was one of those guys who didn't get a lot of action for a long-term deal. I was thrilled to get him. I think he's going to play [well] for us."

The Eagles landed Woolen with a 1-year, $12 million deal.

Looking Ahead: Eagles OTA and Minicamp Schedule

Eagles OTAs continue tomorrow (May 29), and resume on June 1-2 (Mon, Tues), June 4 (Thurs), and they will have their mandatory minicamp on June 9-10 (Tues, Weds).