NFL Draft: Eagles trade for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard
Select versatile tight end Eli Stowers, offensive tackle Markel Bell
Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/3xvnxbhd
PHILADELPHIA — Howie Roseman struck again.
The Eagles general manager traded for Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard from the Minnesota Vikings in a splashy move Friday night, Day 2 of the NFL draft.
Philadelphia sent its compensatory third-round pick (No. 98 overall) and a 2027 third-rounder to Minnesota for Greenard and a Saturday seventh-rounder (No. 244).
The Eagles also inked the 28-year-old Greenard — who was already in Philadelphia — to a four-year, $100 million extension that includes $50 million guaranteed.
The deal overshadowed the Birds’ second-round selection of Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers — an explosive and versatile player who can cause havoc for defenses. They later took offensive tackle Markel Bell from the University of Miami.
Greenard fills a need after the departure of Jaelen Phillips and immediately bolsters a defensive front that remains a foundation of the team’s roster construction.
“What you see is a relentless player with physical tools, Roseman said. “He can win in multiple ways. He is hard to block. I know when we play Minnesota, we are worried about where he is at all times.”
“We just felt like we had a really good D-line but we wanted to elevate it to another level.
Greenard has been one of the league’s more disruptive pass rushers when healthy. He recorded back-to-back double-digit sack seasons with the Houston Texans in 2023 and the Vikings in 2024 before an injury-shortened 2025 season. Over the past two full seasons he totaled 24.5 sacks, showing the kind of consistent pressure the Eagles covet along the edge.
For Roseman, the opportunity to add a proven veteran during the draft — rather than simply relying on rookie development — was too good to pass up.
“I think when you’re talking about improving your team, you’re always looking at all avenues,” Roseman said. “For us, this was a chance to add a really good football player who fits how we want to play.”
The trade continued Roseman’s long-standing philosophy of building through the trenches. The Eagles have invested heavily in their defensive front in recent years, rotating waves of pass rushers in an effort to keep pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
“This guy plays the game the way you want it played,” coach Sirianni said. “Relentless effort, toughness, the ability to affect the quarterback. When you add players like that to your defensive line, it raises the level of the entire defense.”
After undergoing a physical and finalizing his contract, Greenard attended the Sixers playoff game against the Celtics with Eagles security chief Dom DiSandro. Before the game, the Birds’ first-round pick, Makai Lemon, rang the bell in front of a raucous crowd.
While the Greenard deal received most of the spotlight, Roseman and the Eagles feel good about the additions of Stowers and Bell.
New tight end
Philadelphia selected Stowers with the 54th overall pick in the second round. The 6-foot-4, 239-pound Stowers, 23, is a former quarterback who converted to tight end and developed into one of the SEC’s most effective offensive weapons.
He was named All-SEC the past two seasons after emerging as a matchup problem for defenses. Last year he won the John Mackey Award for college football’s most outstanding tight end.
In 12 games last season at Vanderbilt (10-3), Stowers caught 62 passes for 769 yards and four touchdowns. He brings a hybrid blend — part tight end, part split-out receiver — and is a natural successor to Dallas Goedert, who’s on a one-year contract.
In the meantime, the Eagles can run a variety of two-tight end sets in Sean Mannion’s incarnation of the West Coast offense, which will challenge Jalen Hurts to operate under center and throw over the middle more often.
Stowers — who has 4.51 speed and an incredible 45.5-inch vertical — succeeds against both man-to-man and zone coverage.
“We just felt like he brings a really unique skill set to our offense,” Roseman said. “He’s a big target, he’s athletic, and he’s a competitive player. Those are things we value.”
A mammoth tackle
In the third round at No. 68 overall, the Eagles took Bell — listed at 6-foot-9, 346 pounds with a 7-foot-3 wingspan. He exclusively played left tackle for the Hurricanes, but Roseman and the Eagles see him as an ascending player with versatile potential.
In the short term, Bell provides immediate depth. He’ll learn behind Lane Johnson — who might retire after this season — and Jordan Mailata.
“Markel Bell was a passion player for us throughout the process,” Roseman said. “Obviously, unusual size, unusual length, hard to find. But really when you watch the tape, he is hard to get around in pass pro. He had zero quarterback sacks allowed this year playing for the University of Miami.”
In 558 pass-protection snaps in 2025, Bell didn’t allow a sack as the Hurricanes went all the way to the national title game against Indiana.
“Offensive line is always going to be a priority for us,” Sirianni said. “You can’t have enough good linemen, and we think Markel has a chance to grow into a really good player.”
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.