Fast Track

PHILADELPHIA – Preparing throughout the week for a rotational role on game day has become a normality for Eagles rookie pass rusher Jalyx Hunt.

So when the Houston Christian product on Sunday afternoon saw a sudden snap-share hike, there was no adjustment period or acclimation required.

There also wasn’t a conversation to be had, as readiness has been emphasized to Hunt from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio since Day 1 of the 2024 season.

Selected with the No. 94 overall pick in April, Hunt entered Week 10 having logged just 17 defensive snaps, his role predominately relegated to special teams.

But a cross between Hunt’s practice performance and a wrist injury hampering edge rusher Bryce Huff vaulted Hunt into the most prominent role of his young career, tallying 25 snaps and accounting for 42 percent of the total in the Eagles’ 34-6 rout of the Dallas Cowboys.

“He’s done better in practice, and it’s kind of a result, too, of Bryce [Huff],” Fangio said. “He’s got a big cast on his hand, leaves his thumb totally immobilized. And really, his palm is immobilized. So, he’s just got four fingers dangling there with no thumb or palm to help him.

“On the less-obvious downs, it just makes sense to put a guy in there that’s 100 percent.”

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles rookie EDGE Jalyx Hunt is seeing more time with Bryce Huff playing through a wrist injury.

Due to the limitations of Huff, who still managed a sack in his 12 snaps, Hunt was thrown into the deep end and undertook a larger workload out of necessity, though head coach Nick Sirianni last week – in a bit of foreshadowing – set the table for Hunt’s defensive unveiling.

“Then we’ll see Jalyx getting into the mix as well,” Sirianni said during his Wednesday availability. “I think he’s been doing a good job at practice to be able to go.”

The lengthy edge rusher showcased relentless energy and plus-movement ability in Dallas, while also offering the occasional reminder that he’s still very much a work in progress.

He was credited with a tackle and a pass defended, the latter of which occurred in the second quarter, when Hunt got a hand up to impede a Cooper Rush pass intended for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

“I thought Kobe [Nakobe Dean] was gonna get it!” Hunt said with a smirk.

For Hunt, widely viewed as a developmental prospect entering the draft, the snap boost indicted progress, suggesting that perhaps the rotation gained another permanent fixture at an opportune time.

Hunt even pinpointed improved reactions and decision-making as areas in which his game has grown. A primary lesson learned throughout the first nine games of his career is that much of the league is about who can make the faster decision and “go get it.”

In addition to Fangio, Hunt has also received tutelage behind the scenes from his position coach, defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn, who has honed in on a specific aspect of Hunt’s game.

“Just the speed in which I play,” he said. “I can play fast, so just playing fast every snap.”

Reflecting on his progress, Hunt noted that he’d watched some of his reps from the spring and summer and compared them to his current version.

He feels he’s more technically sound – or in his word, “crisp” – for which he credits the EDGE room, specifically as it pertains to becoming a professional.

Perhaps Hunt demonstrated enough in Dallas to carve out a weekly cameo, even when Huff returns to, or is close to, full health.

And the feedback received following his largest sampling suggests Hunt is on his way, though even the rookie stopped short of his full endorsement, acknowledging he’s still building.

“I think it was expected,” Hunt said. “So, nothing dropped off. I was able to go in on some first and second downs, hold the edge and protect the run. And then my boys come rush off the edge while I build up my bag a little bit.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.