The Philadelphia Eagles were on their bye in Week 9, but that has not stopped them from making moves. Philadelphia acquired cornerback Jaire Alexander on Saturday after adding Michael Carter II earlier in the week. Now the Eagles have made yet another trade to bolster their defense before the trade deadline on Tuesday.
The Eagles have acquired Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Philadelphia was rumored to be interested in Phillips and Miami reportedly wanted at least a third-round pick for the young pass rusher.
“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),” The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on Sunday. “They’re also getting calls on DE Bradley Chubb and OLB Matthew Judon.”
It seems that both sides got exactly what they wanted.
The Eagles were willing to take a chance on Phillips despite his injury history. He suffered an ACL tear back in 2024 that prematurely ended his season. Phillips also missed six games in 2023 with a pedal Achilles tear.
The fact that Philly sent a third-round pick for Phillips, who is on the final year of his rookie contract, proves that they are all in on getting back to the Super Bowl this season.
Will the Eagles' aggressive moves help them during the playoffs?
Philadelphia seems to think that adding talent on defense is their path back to the Super Bowl.
But will all of their recent trades really move the needle during the playoffs?
When looking at the statistics after the first half of the season, it certainly seems like the right approach. Philadelphia's defense ranks around the middle of the NFL in various statistical categories on defense. Those include points allowed per game (23.1) and yards allowed per game (336.3).
Remember, the Eagles lost a lot of talent on defense during the offseason. So it makes a ton of sense that they would reinforce their defense at the trade deadline.
Howie Roseman did his job, now the Eagles need to use what he's given them and keep winning games throughout the winter.
Next up for the Eagles is a Week 10 matchup against the Packers on Monday Night Football.
