Eagles Warned to Avoid One Major Free Agency Blunder

Back at the NFL trade deadline, the Philadelphia Eagles acquired edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a third-round draft pick.

The move has paid significant dividends for the Eagles, as Phillips has already made a massive impact over his first three games with the team.

The problem is that Phillips is slated to hit the open market next March, and given how well he has been playing, the former first-round pick stands to receive a lot of attention.

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox thinks that Philadelphia should take care of things with Phillips now before he is able to head into free agency.

"Now in Philly, Phillips is proving to be a strong fit for Vic Fangio's defense. In three games, he has recorded a sack, 10 quarterback pressures, five quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery," Knox wrote. "In short, Phillips is again playing up to his draft status as a 2021 first-round pick. Howie Roseman would be foolish for letting him test free agency after landing him for a third-round selection."

Phillips' NFL career got off to a great start with the Dolphins, as he registered 42 tackles and 8.5 sacks during his rookie campaign and followed that up with 61 tackles and seven sacks in Year 2.

However, during his third season, Phillips suffered a torn Achilles midway through the year, ending what was on pace to be the best campaign of his career at the time (he had already posted 43 stops and 6.5 sacks in eight games).

Then, last year, the 26-year-old appeared in just four contests before going down with a torn ACL.

Phillips' injury history will almost certainly have an impact on his impending free agency, and it will probably result in the University of Miami product not receiving a ton of guaranteed money.

The Eagles could offer Phillips a short-term contract heavily laced with incentives and see whether or not he accepts before testing the open market.

While losing Phillips would be tough, it would also be foolish to pay significant money to a player with his incredibly checkered medical history.

Philadelphia currently has around $20 million in cap room for 2026, so we will see how much of that — if any — the club devotes to Phillips.