New Eagles Star Speaks On Handling Bears' Caleb Williams

PHILADELPHIA - Jaelan Phillips’ two-game start with the Eagles was so impressive that a regression to the mean was always coming.

However, the powerful 6-foot-5 edge rusher was hardly playing the woe-is-me card after a disappointing 24-21 loss to Dallas in which the Cowboys piled up 473 total yards.

In Phillips’ first two games after being acquired from Miami in a season-shifting trade for the defense, Vic Fangio’s unit allowed a total of 16 points against two top-10 offenses in Green Bay and Detroit, with Phillips looking like the final piece of the puzzle while generating 12 pressures in those two weeks.

One loss hasn’t dampened Phillips’ belief in his new team.

“I think ultimately, that's gonna be a good thing in the long run,” Phillips said of the setback to the Cowboys. “It's been cool to kind of see kind of the ups and downs and everybody remains steadfast and confident, nobody's losing hope or super dejected from the loss.”

The Eagles still lead the NFC East at 8-3 and are currently the No. 2 seed in the conference with a Black Friday showdown with the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears, who have an identical 8-3 mark and the fourth consecutive top-10 offense Phillips will face in his short tenure with the Eagles.

This time, it’s about a dynamic dual-threat playmaker at quarterback in Caleb Williams, who is being buoyed by the most inventive offensive mind in the game in Bears head coach Ben Johnson.

“I think that he's really made a step in his second year, and he's an extremely mobile and effective quarterback on the run with his feet, throwing the ball,” Phillips said when asked about Williams. “I think he looks more comfortable commanding that offense this year. And I have a ton of respect for him and definitely going to have to bring my A-game.”

Relentless Rush

Nov 16, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips (50) against the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The goal is a disciplined pass rush to keep Williams in the cage of the pocket.

"I mean, that's pretty much the entire focus, other than stopping the run, which is obviously a premium,” said Phillips. “When it comes to controlling him and eliminating what he does, he's very effective when he's being able to escape and extend plays and make plays like that.

“So I think for us, it's gotta be pass rush lane discipline, it's gotta be relentless rush.”

Making that more difficult is Johnson, who can often scheme up unique looks that put defenders in conflict.

“I think that [Johnson] and they do a good job of attacking the edges and exploiting weaknesses and defenses, and obviously, putting Caleb and other skill guys in a position to be successful,” Phillips noted. “Ultimately, we're just gonna have to, like I said, be relentless and play disciplined and technically sound football."

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