The Eagles wrapped up mandatory minicamp on Wednesday and immediately announced five roster moves that finalize the spring 53. The headline is a real veteran signing on the defensive edge. The rest is depth and a clean break from a player who walked away in October.
The Moves
- Signed: DE A.J. Epenesa
- Signed: OG Michael Jordan
- Waived: LB Chandler Martin
- Waived: LB Isiah King
- Released from reserve/retired list: OLB Za'Darius Smith
The Headline: A.J. Epenesa
The big addition is Epenesa, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound former Bills defensive end who has spent his entire career to date in Buffalo.
Epenesa was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Iowa and spent six seasons in Buffalo. Across 91 NFL games he has recorded 24 sacks, 135 tackles, 53 QB hits, four interceptions, and five forced fumbles. Back-to-back 6.5-sack seasons in 2022 and 2023 are the floor of his career. The 2025 season saw him in a rotational role (47.1 percent of defensive snaps across 16 games, with 2.5 sacks, two picks, and four pass breakups).
The Cleveland Browns had agreed to a one-year deal with Epenesa worth up to $5 million on March 18. That contract was pulled after he reportedly failed his physical on March 29. He has been on the open market ever since. The Eagles get a veteran edge rusher whose Browns medical concern was apparently real enough to spook one team and whose floor (back-to-back 6.5 sack seasons) is higher than just about any depth piece available in June.
Where Epenesa Fits
The Eagles' edge rusher room is now: Jonathan Greenard (new free agent acquisition), Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Epenesa as the veteran fourth piece. That is a real four-deep rotation. Greenard is the top-end pass rusher. Smith is the explosive bend-the-edge guy. Hunt is the developing young player who said this week the defense is going to be "dangerous." Epenesa is the seasoned veteran who can play 25-35 snaps a game, stop the run, set the edge, and rotate through.
That depth matters because Vic Fangio's scheme is built around fresh edge rushers. Fangio sub-packages are intricate, and the difference between a top-five Fangio defense and a top-fifteen one is often whether the third and fourth defensive ends can hold up. The Eagles just gave themselves a real fourth defensive end.
The Other Signing: G Michael Jordan
The Eagles also signed guard Michael Jordan (the NFL one, not the basketball one). Jordan is a journeyman interior offensive lineman who fits as competition for the backup guard spots and as a training-camp body. Low-risk, low-cost depth piece. The story for the casual fan is the name. The football story is just that Chris Kuper has another body to evaluate in training camp.
The Releases
Chandler Martin and Isiah King were both depth linebackers who did not earn their way through OTAs. Routine roster trimming.
The more notable release is Za'Darius Smith from the reserve/retired list. Smith abruptly retired in October 2025 after recording 1.5 sacks across five games as an Eagle. By releasing him from the reserve/retired list, the Eagles are letting him become a free agent if he decides to return to football. The team had to take this step in order to clean up the roster. Smith can now sign with another team if he ever does come back. As a practical matter, this is the Eagles closing the door on a player who already chose to walk away.
What This Says About the Roster
The Eagles entered Wednesday with a 90-man roster cap and used these moves to add veteran experience at two positions (defensive end and interior offensive line) and trim the depth chart of players who were not going to make it.
The trend across the entire spring has been the same one. The Eagles are adding veteran pieces who add floor (Riq Woolen at corner, Jonathan Greenard at edge, A.J. Epenesa now in the rotation) and developing young players around them. The roster is older and more experienced than it was a year ago. That is by design.
What's Next
The team breaks until training camp opens in late July. The 90-man roster as it stands today is roughly the roster that will report to NovaCare in five weeks, minus any further small moves and any potential injuries. The big questions for camp now become:
- Can Epenesa pass his physical and contribute the way the Bills' rotation got out of him?
- Can Makai Lemon return from his hamstring in time to compete for WR2 reps?
- Can Jalen Carter shake the limited-individual-drill status and look fully healthy entering camp?
- Can the Mannion offense look like a Week-1-ready unit by the end of camp?
Wednesday was the last meaningful Eagles news day until late July. The Eagles closed it with a solid signing and a clean break. Now the football world goes quiet on Philly for a month and a half.
