Eagles Make Blockbuster Trade for AFC East Edge Rusher
The Philadelphia Eagles continue to make big time deals ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 4, with each one seeming to get bigger than the last.
The latest move fills perhaps the biggest hole on the roster for the Eagles, getting Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips in exchange for a 2025 third round pick.
“The Eagles are acquiring DE Jaelan Phillips from Miami for a third-round pick, per sources — the sides have been discussing a trade for week,” NFL reporter Albert Breer wrote on his official X account on November 3. “Philly DC Vic Fangio was with Phillips in Miami in 2023.”
Phillips has been one of the hottest names in trade rumors leading up to the deadline but has also missed 25 games over the last 2 years with injuries.
” … He only has 2 sacks this year, but he leads the Dolphins in QB pressures,” The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia said on “The Ringer NFL Show” podcast on October 28. “He’s a free agent at the end of this season, so it’s not like you’re making some kind of big commitment and taking on a bunch of risk. He can help you now. So, he’s a fit, and maybe you re-sign him at the end of the season.”
Even with recent trades for Phillips and cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter II, the Eagles still have a war chest of draft picks left.
“After acquiring Jaelan Phillips, the Eagles are still projected to have eight draft picks in 2026 (1,2,3,3,4,4,5,5) — that includes potentially receiving three total compensatory picks for Milton Williams (3rd), Josh Sweat (4th) and Mekhi Becton (5th),” ESPN’s Jordan Reid wrote on his official X account.
Eagles Address Major Problems at Edge Rusher
The Eagles have been left scrambling at edge rusher over the last month.
Their most promising young player at the position, Nolan Smith, injured his triceps in a Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams and won’t return, at the earliest, until a Week 10 road game against the Green Bay Packers.
Then, on October 13, veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith shocked the Eagles when he announced his retirement on Instagram.
The Eagles lost their Alpha Dog edge rusher from last year’s Super Bowl winning team when Josh Sweat, who led the Eagles in sacks in 2024, signed a 4-year, $76.4 million free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals in March.
Phillips Coming Off 2 Serious Injuries
Phillips, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, only played in 11 games over his first 2 college seasons at UCLA due to injuries and medically retired from football in December 2018 after a moped accident.
He wouldn’t return to the field for 2 years, eventually playing a dominant final season for the University of Miami in 2020 where he earned All-American and All-ACC honors with 45 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 16 TFL, 3 pass deflections and one interception in 10 games.
Phillips was a first round pick (No. 18 overall) by the Dolphins in the 2021 NFL draft.
The Dolphins picked up the fifth year extension on Philliips’ 4-year, $14 million rookie contract — money that will bring his career earnings to approximately $27.2 million following this season.
Through his first 2 NFL seasons, Phillips was one of the NFL’s dominant young pass rushers, playing in all 34 regular season games with 103 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 17 TFL, 3 fumble recoveries and an incredible 41 QB hits.
Phillips looked like he was on the verge of becoming to one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers in 2023 with 6.5 sacks through the first 8 games before he tore his Achilles tendon. He returned in Week 4 of the 2024 season against the Tennessee Titans but tore his ACL in his first game back.
Commanders' nightmare loss to Seahawks continues to get worse with more unfortunate injury updates
The season is officially over for the Washington Commanders, and the nightmare somehow continues after the worst night in recent memory for this franchise.
The Commanders got blown out at home in primetime during a night that was supposed to be special with the throwback uniforms and Art Monk jersey retirement, but it turned into fans leaving in the middle of the second quarter, and a gruesome injury. You can move on from a loss, but seeing Jayden Daniels go down with a severe elbow injury was gut-wrenching.
Daniels' injury wasn't the only significant injury last night, as the hits continue with two more season-ending injuries
Luke McCaffrey suffers a season-ending injury
The game barely started before the Commanders suffered yet another injury, and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey went down after returning the opening kickoff. He went down awkwardly on his left side, which is now being diagnosed as a broken collarbone that will have him out for the rest of the year.
McCaffrey was starting to really find his role in the offense and special teams, and now his season comes to an end. He was second in the league in kickoff return yards with 769, and also averaged 18.5 yards per catch. The Commanders turned to McCaffrey after injuries to Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown, and he was showing a lot of promise with multiple tough catches.
He should be part of the offense next season, but another injury just shows even more how badly this team needs help at the position. The Commanders added Treylon Burks and hope to get a roster win from him, but major changes need to happen with McLaurin and Brown injured, and Deebo Samuel not under contract next season. The defense is another conversation, and they lost another starter for the rest of the season.
Marshon Lattimore is feared to have torn an ACL
The defense was an embarrassment once again, with the Seahawks blowing the team out before halftime, and it never got any better. Busted coverage and wide-open explosive plays were all over the field, and major changes need to happen on and off the field. It got even worse for Marshon Lattimore, who went down with an injury that is feared to be a torn ACL.
There's no easy way to put it, but it was a nightmare night for Lattimore. He played really well last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, but it's time to admit that this trade was a massive swing and a miss by Adam Peters. It's unfortunate to see the season go down like this for Laittmore in what is very likely his last game with the Commanders. He's under contract for next season as well, but I don't expect him to be here after the defense faces an overhaul this offseason, if not sooner.
Injuries have been the biggest headline of the season with multiple starters suffering long-term injuries, and the roster honestly needs an overhaul as well. It will be a long rest of the season, with a massive offseason coming up.
