The Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers are all in the market for edge rusher help, and it turns out they're competing for the same player.
According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, the Miami Dolphins are getting calls from the 49ers, Eagles and Patriots, among others, on edge rusher Jaelen Phillips.
Russini adds that the Dolphins are currently looking for a third-round selection for the former first-round pick, who has tallied three sacks and 27 pressures in eight games this season.
"Miami has received interest from the Eagles, 49ers, Patriots and others on OLB Jaelan Phillips (The Dolphins are looking for at least a third-rounder in return)," Russini reported on Saturday.
Russini goes on to add that the Dolphins are also fielding calls on fellow edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Matt Judon, so both could be had, also.
Phillips showed a ton of promise early on in his career with 22 sacks over his first 42 games. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his career for a few years, but Phillips appears to be rounding into form lately with two sacks in his last three games.
Phillips is in the final year of his contract, which will make it difficult for teams to be comfortable giving up a third-round pick for him. However, Phillips is also just 26, so he could be a long-term solution if he plays his way into a new deal.
Furthermore, if he continues his ascension to the trajectory he was on earlier in his career, acquiring him for a third-round pick will look like a steal down the road.
We would say the Eagles have the most dire need at edge rusher among the three teams.
Philadelphia is tied for the 11th-fewest sacks in the NFL and lost Za'Darius Smith to retirement unexpectedly. Philadelphia has since gotten Brandon Graham back, but that's hardly sufficient for Howie Roseman to stand pat.
The Niners have nearly half the sacks the Eagles have and lost Nick Bosa for the season and are dealing with an injury to Bryce Huff. However, at least the Niners have made a move with the acquisition of Keion White.
That said, White's zero sacks show he's anything but guaranteed to make an impact, so San Francisco should still be looking for a defense that has just nine sacks.
The Patriots have tallied 19 sacks and have some good edge rushers already on the roster in Harold Landry and K'Lavon Chaisson, who have combined for 10 sacks this season.
But with the Patriots trying to compete in an AFC that has Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and a slew of other talented quarterbacks, more help is needed.
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