Howie Roseman made the biggest splash of the NFL trade deadline early Monday morning, trading the team’s own third round pick in next April’s Draft for Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, shoring up a position
that had a fair number of bodies present but a questionable number of high-end performers.
It is the third trade deadline deal Roseman has swung in the last few days. Last week he picked up slot corner Michael Carter and a 2027 7th-round pick from the Jets in exchange for WR John Metchie and a ‘27 6th-rounder, and over the weekend he acquired former Pro Bowl corner Jaire Alexander and a 2027 7th-round pick in exchange for a 6th-round pick in the ‘26 draft. Not to mention back in September, he swung a deal for running back Tank Bigsby with the Jags for a 5th and 6th round pick in next year’s Draft.
Heading into the deadline, the Eagles had two clear areas of need: cornerback and edge rusher. Roseman has addressed both needs and picked up a back-up running back who already has a 100-yard rushing game under his belt.
If you’re skeptical these moves will greatly benefit the 2025 Birds, it’s not without recent evidence or precedent. In fact, most of Roseman’s in-season trade deadline deals haven’t moved the needle all that much over the years.
Last year he was quiet, but in 2023, he picked up safety Kevin Byard from the Titans for a 5th and 6th round pick. Byard was a massive disappointment. So was the 2022 trade for defensive end Robert Quinn from the Bears for a 4th rounder. Defensive End Genard Avery (his name auto-corrected to “Average” when I initially typed it here and I considered leaving it that way) was acquired for a 4th-rounder from Cleveland in 2019. In ‘18, he traded for wide receiver Golden Tate for a third rounder, who at least he caught an important touchdown in the Double Doink playoff game.
The last player Roseman traded for in-season that had a real impact was in 2017, with the addition of running back Jay Ajayi, who became an important contributor for that Super Bowl-winning squad.
There are a number of reasons to believe the trade for Phillips, at least, will be impactful.
Sometimes a new player has difficulty adjusting quickly to a new scheme and coaching staff, but Phillips played for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in Miami in 2023. In eight games before tearing his Achilles, he piled up 6.5 sacks. He’s only in his fifth season, he’s 26 years old, and although his counting numbers aren’t great this year, there’s reason to believe he’ll perform at a higher level in a more competent defense.
Phillips has three sacks on the season, all coming in the last five games, and seven QB hits. He has 26 career sacks in 38 starts and is presumably in the prime of his career. He has dealt with injuries — the Achilles in 2023 and a knee injury last season that limited him to just four games. There is risk there, to be sure, however, he has been healthy this season, starting all nine games for the 2-7 Dolphins.
The impulse is to say, “Great move, Howie!” or, “Howie Strikes Again!” or…
Outside of trading three first-round picks for Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby, this was as good as Howie Roseman was going to do in addressing their pass rush in the middle of the season, but is there just as good a chance Phillips has little impact on the pass rush? And not to unnecessarily throw cold water on things, it’s fair to doubt the additions of Carter and Alexander won’t provide much fruit, either.
Alexander had been a healthy non-factor for Baltimore all season, and it’s hard to see him as an upgrade over Kelee Ringo or Adore Jackson at this stage of his career. It’s a wish and a prayer. Carter’s addition is more intriguing and could potentially allow Fangio to move Cooper DeJean outside at times, but it will be more difficult for a corner to adjust to a new scheme and defensive coordinator than an edge like Phillips.
One potential positive is both Carter and Alexander have connections to the Eagles’ coaching staff.
Douglas, the former Jets’ GM, now serves as the senior personnel director for the Eagles, Kasper is the Birds’ safeties coach, and Parker is Philadelphia’s passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach. So there is familiarity there.
No matter what happens on the field, the process off it was good. Roseman made the right moves. With a surplus of draft picks at his disposal, he could afford to overpay in the trade market and take a chance on some veterans to fill some clear areas of need.
These are no-harm, no-foul moves by the Eagles with the potential for big upside, exactly the type of chances a team with a wide-open Super Bowl window and a real chance to repeat as champions should be taking.
