Jaelan Phillips
Getty
Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
The Philadelphia Eagles made a deft move trading for Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips right before the NFL trade deadline. He ended up being the missing piece on a defense that wound up being elite down the stretch.
While the Eagles understood Phillips might just be a high-profile rental down the stretch, Phillips also made himself an attractive option in free agency, where Spotrac predicts his market value in the realm of a 3-year, $52 million contract.
There’s little doubt that number could go much, much higher over the next month before free agency starts — as high as $80 million — and PFF called the Washington Commanders the “Top Landing Spot” for Phillips in 2026.
“After foregoing the opportunity to upgrade their edge defender unit last offseason, the Commanders paid the price in 2025, ranking among the NFL’s lowest-graded defenses (53.7, 27th),” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote. “A season-ending knee injury to Dorance Armstrong limited the rotation, resulting in the Commanders’ 23rd-ranked pass-rush win rate off the edge. Now, with their top pressure generators Von Miller and Jacob Martin scheduled to enter free agency, this projects as a good time to upgrade the position. Although injuries limited his time on the field in previous seasons, Phillips showcased his talent as a pass rusher in 2025. He didn’t rack up massive sack production, but he posted the seventh-highest pass-rush win rate (19.1%) among qualifying edge defenders while ranking in the 85th percentile in PFF pass-rush grade on true pass sets.”
Bad News for Phillips Could Be Coming
While a massive payday for Phillips, 6-foot-5 and 266 pounds, would be the dream scenario, a different, less appealing outcome for him could come in the form of a franchise tag.
“Phillips is entering the prime of his career and has no shortage of potential,” Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote. “But he also has a fairly extensive injury history — one that makes signing the five-year veteran to a long-term deal something of a risky proposition. The projected franchise tag for defensive ends isn’t cheap —$26.6 million. The Eagles are also short on cap space, with $10.4 million in wiggle room. But Philly also doesn’t have much depth on the edge, and losing Phillips would be a major blow, so the tag could be a possibility.”
Eagles Missed Big With Edge Rusher Moves
The Eagles are in such a precarious spot at edge rusher because of their past failings — we can point to one terrible decision each of the last 3 years.
In 2023, the Eagles used a first round pick (No. 30 overall) on edge rusher Nolan Smith, who is grossly undersized for the position at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds. After showing some potential with 6.5 sacks in 2024, Smith took a big step back in 2025 by missing a career-high 5 games and finishing with just 3.0 sacks.
In 2024, the Eagles signed New York Jets edge rusher Bryce Huff to a 3-year, $51.1 million free agent contract and watched him flame out with just 1.5 sacks in one season before he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2025, the Eagles let veteran edge rusher Josh Sweat go to the Arizona Cardinals on a 4-year, $76.4 million free agent contract. Sweat had career highs of 11.0 sacks, 12 TFL, 4 forced fumbles and 16 QB hits this season.