The Eagles’ push ahead of the trade deadline to improve their roster and win a second straight Super Bowl continued Monday morning with the acquisition of Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and confirmed by a league source.
In return for the veteran edge rusher, the Eagles sent a 2026 third-round pick to the Dolphins. The Eagles have two third-round picks and, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Dolphins will get the lower of the two picks, which is the one that already belonged to the Eagles. The other pick will be a high third-round selection because it belonged to the 1-7 Jets.
Phillips, a first-round pick (18th overall) by the Dolphins in 2021 out of the University of Miami, has 26 career sacks, including three this season. The third-round pick the Eagles gave up, however, is a steep price to pay for a player who will be a free agent after this season.
After registering 22 sacks in his first three seasons with the Dolphins, including a career-high 8 1/2 as a rookie, Phillips played in just four games last season because of a torn ACL.
He did not have a sack in his first four games this season, but he has consistently applied pressure on the quarterback. His 32 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, lead the Dolphins. Phillips has also has finished the job in recent weeks, compiling three sacks in Miami’s last five games, including one Thursday night against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Phillips’ 32 pressures are four more than Moro Ojomo and Jalyx Hunt, who lead the Eagles in that department. Phillips’ pressure total is tied for 11th in the NFL.
It was no secret that the Eagles wanted to upgrade at both edge rusher and cornerback before Tuesday’s trade deadline expired and in the last week they’ve added Phillips and two cornerbacks (Jaire Alexander from the Ravens and Michael Carter from the Jets). The Eagles also convinced edge rusher Brandon Graham to come out of retirement.
The recent moves should strengthen the Eagles’ two biggest weaknesses on defense, but they will also leave defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with some difficult decisions as he reconfigures the defense for the final nine games of the regular season.
The Eagles, for instance, will have three additions at edge rusher when they face the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 on Monday Night Football because they also expect to get Nolan Smith back from injured reserve. Smith hasn’t played since suffering a triceps injury in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams. By the end of last season he was the team’s second best pass rusher behind Josh Sweat.
Hunt, in his second season, has started all eight games for the Eagles and has played some of his best football in recent weeks. He had a pick-six touchdown in the Eagles’ win against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7 and registered his first sack of the season in Week 8 against the Giants.
Josh Uche has also played well in his first season with the Eagles and is likely to remain a part of the edge-rushing rotation.
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