Jaelan Phillips Gives The Eagles The Edge Rusher They Needed

Howie Roseman has been the busiest man at this trade deadline. After acquiring two different cornerbacks, he made his biggest swing yet on Monday morning. The Eagles acquired EDGE Jaelan Phillips from the Jets in exchange for their own 3rd-round pick.

The move reunites Phillips with Vic Fangio, who was the Dolphins' Defensive Coordinator in 2023. In 8 games, Phillips racked up 6.5 sacks and 29 pressures, before an achilles injury ended his season early. But his short time under Fangio was the most productive period of his career yet.

Edge Rusher was clearly the Eagles' biggest need as they approached the deadline. After losing Josh Sweat in free agency, the Eagles struggled to get production off the Edge. They have just 5 sacks and 74 pressures in 9 games between all of their Edge Rushers.

Getting Nolan Smith back off the IR soon will help, but it was clear they needed another productive player there. Phillips fills that need.

In 9 games this season, Phillips has 3 sacks and 32 pressures. He would lead Eagles Edge Rushers in both categories. His 32 pressures are tied for the 11th most in the league, and his win rate of 19.35 is top 20 in the league. It is also worth noting that a lot of this production has come recently. All 3 of his sacks are in the last 5 games, along with 19 of his 32 pressures.

Phillips is coming off two consecutive season-ending injuries. An achilles in 2023, and a knee injury in 2024. But at least so far, Phillips has stayed healthy. And when healthy, Phillips has been a top 20 caliber Edge Rusher in the league.

Jaelan Phillips is a pending free agent. So the Eagles will have a decision to make following the season. After giving up a 3rd round pick, you would think they would want to lock him into a long-term deal. Howie does have a history of renting players at the deadline and then taking the compensatory pick when they walk. But Phillips, only 26, might be someone they have an interest in keeping,

It is worth noting that they have a plethora of other players they need to resign this offseason. Jalen Carter will be eligible for an extension, and the Eagles likely want to get that done ASAP. They may also want to sign Nolan Smith and Jordan Davis.

If they do lose Jaelan Phillips, the good news is they will get a compensatory pick back for him. How good a pick depends on the deal he gets, but if he breaks the bank enough, it could end up being a 3rd round pick. In that case, they would have given up their own 3rd, likely near the end of the 3rd round, but then acquired a pick not too far removed from where they would have drafted. Worst case, they gave up a 3rd, and get back a 4th-round pick.

For now, the Eagles got a dynamic Edge Rusher they badly needed, and it might not end up costing them that much in the long run.