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General manager Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles made the most of the trade deadline, fortifying both their defense and playoff hopes. The team acquired cornerbacks Michael Carter II from the New York Jets and Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens to strengthen the secondary and linebacker Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins to boost the pass rush. Phillips, who has been limited to just 13 games (12 starts) over the past two seasons because of injuries, expressed his excitement after his first practice with the Eagles. “This is literally the greatest thing that’s happened to me in my whole life probably,” Phillips said of the trade, according to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia The 26-year-old edge-rusher also praised the Eagles’ locker room for its positive culture and support. Phillips has played in all nine of the Dolphins' games this season, recording 25 total tackles, 15 solo tackles and three sacks. Jaelan Phillips is the upgrade the Eagles needed in their pass rush The Eagles' pass-rushing core took a hit when defensive end Za’Darius Smith abruptly retired midway through the season, prompting two-time Super Bowl champion defensive end Brandon Graham to come out of retirement. Phillips' addition deepens the defensive front, which features Graham, defensive tackles Jalen Carter (one sack) and Jordan Davis (three) and linebackers Jihaad Campbell (no sacks), Zack Baun (three) and Nakobe Dean (no sacks). The Eagles have only 16 sacks overall. Phillips should have no problem hitting the ground running in his first game with Philadelphia on Monday at the Green Bay Packers (5-2-1). He played under Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with Miami in 2023. Phillips appeared in eight games under Fangio, logging 6.5 sacks before suffering an Achilles injury. This familiarity with Fangio will come in handy, as Phillips is going from a Base 4-3 defense in Miami to a Base 3-4 defense in Philadelphia. This scheme should help Phillips further unlock his potential as a pass-rusher.
