The Eagles made a major move ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline to strengthen another Super Bowl push — and they beat out a couple contenders to do so, too.
Howie Roseman and the Eagles addressed a significant need by acquiring Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday morning.
But shortly after the news broke, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini dropped an interesting nugget: Philadelphia was far from the only team pursuing Phillips.
“Jaelan Phillips was one of the hottest names on the trade block,” Russini reported. “Teams, including the 49ers and Patriots, inquired about a potential deal with the Dolphins.”
How close the 49ers and Patriots were to landing Phillips — and if they offered a third-round pick like the Eagles did — is unclear. But it’s still a win for Roseman and Philadelphia to land one of the most coveted players of the deadline.
The 49ers, who have at least reached the NFC Championship game in four of the last six seasons, are 6-3 this year. San Francisco had a need at edge rusher, and that was before first-round pick Mykel Williams suffered a potential ACL tear on Sunday.
The Patriots are one of the surprise teams in the league with a 7-2 record. New England had only two combined sacks in its last two games, making edge rusher a need.
The Eagles, though, had a need at edge rusher really since the offseason after Josh Sweat moved on in free agency. Brandon Graham unretired a couple weeks ago; the 37-year-old should help. But Philly had only 4 1/2 sacks in eight games from edge rushers — and half of that production came from Za’Darius Smith, who abruptly retired last month.
Phillips, who had his best season in 2023 working with now-Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, should provide an immediate boost for the defending Super Bowl champs.
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