The Philadelphia Eagles continue to make moves as they gear up for the second half of the regular season. On Monday morning, general manager Howie Roseman continued to cash in, as he acquired edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins for a 2026 third-round pick.
The Eagles had been in search of another pass rusher for a while now and seemed to have cashed in on Phillips. Philadelphia badly needed another force up front, and they zeroed in on Phillips. It's certainly a risk and can be viewed as a rental, given that he's in the final year of his rookie contract.
Even though Phillips has yet to play a snap for the Philadelphia, management should consider signing him to an extension.
Eagles Should Consider a Jaelan Phillips Extension
The Eagles added Phillips for a reason, and it shows they didn't have enough confidence in their current edge group. Looking ahead, Philadelphia currently doesn't have any edge rushers locked down for the future.
Nolan Smith Jr. is signed through the 2026 season on his rookie deal, but outside of him, that position group is pretty bare. Signing Phillips to an extension would certainly come with some risks. The last three seasons have been filled with several injuries, including an Achilles and ACL tear.
Suffering those injuries in consecutive seasons in 2023 and 2024 was tough, but the University of Miami product has shown flashes of being a high-quality pass rusher in the league. In 55 career games with the Dolphins, he has secured 177 total tackles, 28 TFLs, 61 QB hits, and 26 sacks.
Another reason that Phillips is on the Eagles is that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a big fan of him. According to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe, Fangio was fond of Phillips from their season together in 2023 and likely played a role in the team's decision to acquire the talented pass rusher.
In eight games together, Phillips recorded 6.5 sacks. The Eagles feel like they are getting an athletic pass rusher, but if he comes in town and is highly productive, it'll only increase his price tag. Teams around the league are always looking for good edge rushers and especially the guy who are in their prime. At 26 years old, in addition to being a former first-round pick, Phillips has the traits teams are looking for.
While this could be seen as a rental, if Phillips produces at a high level for Philadelphia over the rest of the season, the Eagles may have to offer him an extension. They had a clear void there, and Phillips looks to fill it. They already knew his contract situation before trading for him, so these conversations likely started already.
It's also reassuring that the Eagles could receive a 2027 compensatory pick if Phillips walks in free agency, but keeping him around for the long haul is a serious conversation that needs to be had.
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