Josh Alper ,
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Veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith has decided to end his playing career.
Smith announced his retirement in a post to his Instagram account on Monday. Smith signed with the Eagles last month and recorded 1.5 sacks while starting two of the five games he played for the team.
Those starts came in Weeks 4 and 5, but Smith played a season-low 17 snaps in last Thursday’s loss to the Giants. That came days after defensive coordinator Vic Fangio discussed Smith’s role on defense.
“Yeah, obviously the game’s not too big for him,” Fangio said in a press conference. “He’s been out there a lot in his career. [He] made a critical sack last week, which pushed [Denver] out of field goal range. I think he’s getting better and better every week.”
The Eagles are currently without the injured Nolan Smith, which leaves Joshua Uche, Jalyx Hunt, Patrick Johnson, and Azeez Ojulari as the edge rushing options in Philadelphia.
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