On Thursday night, the Philadelphia Eagles signed former Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie to a one-year, $7.3 million deal with $4.3 million guaranteed. Ebiketie previously played for the Atlanta Falcons in his first four NFL seasons.
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The Falcons drated the defensive end in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, going 38th overall. He spent four seasons at Temple, including a redshirt freshman season, before joining the Nittany Lions for his final collegiate year.
Since then, Ebiketie registered 129 tackles, 41 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, six passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery from 2022-25 in 67 regular season contests. He also made 12 starts in Atlanta. In the 2025 season specifically, Ebiketie logged 36 tackles, six quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, two sacks, and one pass defensed.
Ebiketie's production dipped in the 2025 season due to the Falcons acquiring two new pass rushers, Jalon Walker out of Georgia and James Pearce out of Tennessee in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The former Nittany Lion will still be beneficial for the Eagles, despite the slight drop on the stat sheet.
In 2025, Philadelphia didn't have a single defensive end make the top 20 for edge rusher pass rush win rate. It had just two in the top 20 — Moro Ojomo and Jalen Carter — among defensive tackles. The Eagles had a 35 percent pass rush win rate, which ranked 20th overall in the league. The Falcons had 41 percent pass rush win rate, good for sixth in the league.
Ebiketie can't do it alone, though. Philadelphia should still try to acquire another strong edge rusher to dominate the perimeter of its defensive line, whether that's another free agency pickup, a trade, or a 2026 NFL Draft selection. The draft class, in particular, runs deep in defensive ends. By the time the draft gets to pick No. 23, Philadelphia should still have prime options at that position.
Ebiketie had 62 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defensed as a senior at Penn State in 2021. His 17.5 tackles for loss led the Big Ten that season.