Even though they are on their bye, the Philadelphia Eagles are making it a point to upgrade their CB room by any means necessary. Earlier this week, the Eagles acquired veteran slot cornerback Michael Carter II in a trade from the New York Jets.
This trade was surprising as the Eagles already have one of the better slot cornerbacks in the league (Cooper DeJean), which immediately prompted fans to think that the young defensive back could move to boundary. However, the Eagles didn’t stop there. On Saturday evening, the team took another dart throw, this time on Baltimore Ravens CB Jaire Alexander.
In the deal for Alexander, the Ravens sent Philadelphia a 2027 seventh-round pick, while the Eagles gave up a 2026 sixth-round pick. The Eagles hope they can catch lightning in a bottle with Alexander, who has been a healthy scratch for five games with the Ravens.
While it's good to see the Eagles actively fixing their ongoing CB2 issues or trying to at least, the team still needs to make one more trade, specifically on the defensive line, ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
Eagles Must Acquire Dolphins EDGE Jaelan Phillips Before NFL Trade Deadline
The Eagles’ pass rush has been a constant topic of conversation as the unit has struggled to generate consistent pressure to start the season. They are ranked 22nd in sacks (16), with defensive tackle Moro Ojomo leading the way with four.
To help remedy this issue, the Eagles saw Brandon Graham officially announce he was coming back for his 16th season in the NFL.
Philadelphia is hoping that Graham, plus the return of Nolan Smith Jr., who's on injured reserve for a triceps injury, can give the Eagles’ pass rush a boost. However, those two guys won’t be able to do it alone. Therefore, Philadelphia needs to do whatever it takes to acquire Miami Dolphins pass rusher Jaelan Phillips.
Since the Dolphins’ Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, there’s been a lot of smoke surrounding the Eagles and Phillips. On Saturday, Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network reported that the Eagles would like to acquire the 26-year-old defender “at the right price.”
Wolfe adds that Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio thinks highly of Phillips during their time together in 2023. In that season, Phillips had 17 quarterback pressures, 11 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks across 8 games before going down with a torn Achilles.
Injuries have been a bugaboo during Phillips’ career, as he only played in four games last year because of a torn ACL. Even though he’s stayed healthy this season (nine starts) and has three sacks, Philadelphia might be hesitant to part ways with a third-round pick, which is the reported price tag, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
The Eagles are projected to have three round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is more than enough capital to use in a trade. However, Phillips is also expected to be an unrestricted free agent, which could play a part in Philly's thinking.
Therefore, if the Eagles don’t want to give up a third-round pick for Phillips, they could opt for a fourth-round pick and maybe another pick in 2027 or test their luck with another possible trade target. But the point remains that they have to come away with a pass rusher by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.