New Eagles player wanted another team, but rejection led him to Philly: ‘They wanted me’
· Yahoo Sports
PHILADELPHIA — Two months ago, the Eagles made an underrated move that could make them look smart this season.
Edge rusher A.J. Epenesa, who previously played six years with the Bills, signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia on June 10. Epenesa’s addition made an already good pass-rush unit even deeper.
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Epenesa was not supposed to join the Eagles this year. He originally agreed to a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns in March, but two weeks later, the Browns pulled their contract offer due to medical concerns.
Then, Epenesa had to wait three more months to get signed by the Eagles.
“Cleveland was a weird situation,” Epenesa said after Tuesday’s practice. “But I don’t necessarily want to go back and talk on that just in a weird sense. I’ll just leave that in the past and just be happy that I’m not a Brown and that I’m an Eagle.”
Epenesa has only missed six games in seven years, so it’s unclear what the Browns were concerned about. However, last year, he dealt with foot, neck and pectoral muscle injuries and suffered a concussion.
Epenesa claimed that he feels “very healthy” heading into the 2026 season.
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In 91 games for the Bills, Epenesa racked up 135 tackles and 24 sacks. He started 19 of those 91 games for Buffalo, making more of an impact as a rotational piece.
He is not a star, but Epenesa will be a solid fourth or fifth edge rusher for Philadelphia’s defense and will make one of the best defensive lines in football even better.
“I told A.J. this, and I told him in front of the whole team too, for a guy that’s being asked to do a few things that he’s never done before, I thought he did a nice job yesterday with it,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said during training camp. “It was very encouraging.”
Playing in a 3-4 defensive scheme his whole career, Epenesa is not familiar with dropping back in coverage, but he will have to succeed in that area to earn a role in Fangio’s defense. So far, he’s adjusting nicely.
“This is an excellent organization,” Epenesa said. “They have won a bunch of games. They are always competitive every year, and that’s one of the key things when you’re trying to find a team, that’s something you’re looking for. And these guys hit me up. They wanted me. I want to be on a team that competes and wants to win. And it worked out.”
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