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Even Vic Fangio was impressed with Za’Darius Smith’s Eagles debut
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- Even Vic Fangio was impressed with Za’Darius Smith’s Eagles debut
The post Even Vic Fangio was impressed with Za'Darius Smith's Eagles debut appeared first on ClutchPoints .
When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025, one of the toughest endorsements for a player to garner is from Vic Fangio .
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An old school coach who was borderline mutinied out of Miami for the way he led his Dolphins players, Fangio gets most excited about his beloved Philadelphia Phillies , with his defenders getting a more measured response during press conferences.
And yet, in his first media availability of Week 3 following a big win over the Kansas City Chiefs on America's Game of the Week, even Fangio had to tip his cap to newly signed defensive end Za'Darius Smith , who was all over the offensive backfield at Arrowhead.
"Yeah, I thought for coming in on such short notice, he made some good plays. Obviously, he can get a lot better too, which I think he will, with gaining more knowledge of what we're doing," Fangio told reporters. "But it kind of put to bed, they have this rule where in training camp, you have to have these acclimation periods, notepads — they don't do acclimation periods for signings in season, like [LB] Chance Campbell , who we signed two days before the last preseason game, played in that game."
Despite only playing 20 snaps in his Eagles debut, Smith made a major impact almost immediately, recording four tackles, a QB hit, a tackle for loss, and half a sack along with safety Andrew Mukuba , who was similarly impactful as a new member of Fangio's defense. Asked if Smith was adequately prepared for his efforts in Week 2, Fangio noted he "knew enough" to see the field and clearly made an impact as a result.
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"He knew enough that we felt comfortable playing him," Fangio noted. "But obviously, he should know more today than he did then, and he should know more next week. He's got a lot of learning to do."
Fortunately for the Eagles, Smith is only going to learn more of the playbook with each passing day, with his command of the defense expanding as a result. While he may not be fully up to speed in time for Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams , when that day comes, it's clear the Eagles will have a weapon not too dissimilar from Brandon Graham in 2024, which is the exact role Howie Roseman signed Smith to play in 2025 .
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