The Philadelphia Eagles are being pressed to make a big contract move as soon as possible.
The Philadelphia Eagles addressed a major need at the trade deadline, acquiring edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a third-round draft pick.
The Eagles have a stash of third and fourth-round draft choices in their treasure trove of assets, so moving one third to net an impact player wasn't much of an issue for general manager Howie Roseman.
There is one catch, however: Phillips is slated to hit free agency after the season and could be a rather hot commodity based on how well he has been playing since arriving in Philadelphia.
So, should the Eagles absolutely re-sign him? Or should they let him walk?
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox not only thinks that Philadelphia should retain Phillips, but he thinks it should extend the former first-round pick now.
Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips. Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images."Good pass-rushers aren't easy to find, something the Eagles learned early this year after losing Josh Sweat and Milton Williams in free agency," Knox wrote. "Now that Phillips is in the fold, Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman should keep him far away from the open market. The Eagles have just $9.7 million in cap space, but Roseman has a knack for backloading bonus money to keep early cap hits low."
In two games with the Eagles, Phillips has logged 11 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery and has helped Philadelphia hold its last two opponents to a combined 16 points.
There is no question that Phillips is a very good player when healthy. He displayed that during his early years with the Dolphins when he racked up 42 tackles and 8.5 sacks during his rookie campaign in 2021 and followed that up with 61 tackles and seven sacks the following year.
The problem with Phillips is his injury history. He has both a torn Achilles and a torn ACL on his medical record, which makes him a rather risky long-term bet.
Phillips is still just 26 years old, but there is no question that his checkered past is scary when it comes to signing him to a potentially lucrative multi-year contract.
In an ideal world, the Eagles would be able to re-sign Phillips on a one-year deal, but a multi-year pact heavily laced with incentives is probably the most likely route.