Eagles Can’t Afford to Wait on Jaelan Phillips

The Philadelphia Eagles' pass rush will be under a microscope early on this offseason.

The reason for this is the fact that the team has a handful of pieces heading to free agency. Jaelan Phillips, the Eagles' big trade deadline addition, and Nakobe Dean are both pending free agents. Brandon Graham also isn't guaranteed to return in 2026.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Like last offseason, the Eagles are going to need to determine a way to navigate a path forward. One easy way would be to re-sign Phillips. He's 26 years old, fits in well in Vic Fangio's system and has said over and over that he would like to return. But when you're that young with the significant upside that Phillips has, there very well should be competition for his services.

The Eagles should bring back Jaelan Phillips

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips (50) walks off the field after win against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

While making a pitch for how each team could attack their "biggest need," Pro Football Focus linked Phillips to the New England Patriots, for example.

"New England Patriots," Pro Football Focus' Ryan Smith wrote. "Biggest Need: EDGE. Target: EDGE Jaelan Phillips, Philadelphia Eagles. K'Lavon Chaisson has served as the Patriots' top pass rusher, pacing the team with 58 pressures in the regular season and leading the way with 18 playoff pressures ahead of their Super Bowl matchup with the Seahawks. Despite Chaisson’s breakout season, the Patriots rank 18th in team PFF pass-rush grade (68.9) and 21st in sack rate (5.8 percent). Chaisson will test free agency, which could leave the Patriots with an even bigger hole at edge defender. Jaelan Phillips is a splash possibility for a team with a win-now mentality and the necessary cap space.

"Phillips enjoyed a strong 2025 season between Miami and Philadelphia, generating 73 pressures and ranking 22nd out of 110 qualifying edge defenders with a 76.2 PFF pass-rush grade. It was an encouraging showing for a player whose season was cut short both in 2023 and 2024 due to devastating injuries. He would immediately boost Mike Vrabel’s defense."

Phillips likely would fit the Patriots well. That could be said about the vast majority of teams around the league. But the Eagles arguably shouldn't even let the discussion get to the open market. Last year, the Eagles were able to get a deal done with Zack Baun before actually hitting the open market. That should be the strategy here now so other teams, like the Patriots, don't jump in.

More NFL: Eagles Linked to Standout TE to Replace Dallas Goedert