Former Oscar Smith star is a disruptive influence
Reserve Sweat bolsters Eagles’ upset of Saints with two big sacks
It wasn’t all about Jalen Hurts. The prime talking point after Philadelphia’s 24-21 upset of the New Orleans Saints was the play of Hurts, a rookie who made his first NFL start at quarterback Sunday while Carson Wentz was on the sideline.
But fans of Oscar Smith High and around Hampton Roads can realize that reserve defensive end Josh Sweat’s effort also contributed heavily to the Eagles (4-81) ending the Saints’ nine-game winning streak and knocking them off the top NFC perch.
Sweat, who played 25 snaps Sunday, is starting to thrive in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s attacking system.
The third-year lineman was drafted in the fourth round in 2018 after earning All-Tidewater honors with Oscar Smith and
starring for Florida State. On Sunday, he increased his season sack total to six by twice bringing down Taysom Hill behind the line of scrimmage in the second half. Sweat is third on the team in sacks.
According to SI.com, on one sack, he bull-rushed past Saints tackle Terron Armstead. On the other, on fourth down with the Saints (10-3) having cut a 17-0 deficit to 17-14, Sweat ran down Hill from the back side to force a fumble that the Eagles’ Javon Hargrave recovered at the Philadelphia 47-yard line.
“Some of the plays we noticed that he was holding the ball,” Sweat told SI.com. “We figured it would be a lot of boot (bootleg runs) and stuff like that, so we would have opportunities. I’ll be honest, when he did that sprintout, I was like, ‘Damn, I might not make it.’
“Something just made me keep running, and he held on to the ball and I pretty much saw an opportunity to strip the ball out. I thought I was going to get the recovery, but good thing my boy was there.”
Sweat, listed at 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, has increased his impact since he arrived with the Eagles. As a rookie, he had four tackles and no sacks. As a secondyear pro, he had 25 tackles and four sacks in 16 games.
This year, Sweat has played in every game, amassing 41 tackles and six sacks. His on-field time seems likely to continue increasing.
Sweat was part of Oscar Smith’s state champions in 2011 and its runner-up team in 2013.
He played in the final three seasons of Jimbo Fisher’s FSU coaching tenure (2015-17), collecting 138 tackles, including 14.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception as the Seminoles went 27-12.