Cue the fire sale in South Beach. Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel seems to be walking the plank. Things have gotten so bad that Tua Tagovailoa is calling out his teammates. What does this have to do with the Philadelphia Eagles, you ask? Thank you for asking the question, because the answer is quite simple.
The Birds need a few reinforcements, particularly along the defensive front, as they are extremely thin at edge rusher. Nolan Smith remains on the injured reserve. He’ll return at some point. Ogbo Okoronkwo is also on IR. He’s done for the remainder of the season.
Za’Darius Smith threw everyone a curveball, retiring without warning. That leaves Azeez Ojulari, Joshua Uche, Jalyx Hunt, and Patrick Johnson as the four available (and healthy) edge rushers who are currently on the roster.
The Eagles have tallied nine sacks this season. 1.5 are the results of Smith’s efforts. Johnson has one. Uche, Ojulari, and Hunt haven’t tallied their first yet, and with the trade deadline approaching, Howie Roseman and company may want to think about adding some pass-rushing talent. Two of his better options are part of the Dolphins‘ roster, and they may be dangled as trade bait for a Dolphins team that may want to explore gaining some draft capital.
Arguments for and against acquiring Bradley Chubb
Some Dolphins players seemed pleased when Vic Fangio and the organization mutually agreed to part ways. No one knows who that approval came from, but perhaps Bradley Chubb isn’t among those who approved it. He and Coach Fangio share some history. There are, however, a few things to consider here.
They worked together for three years, first with the Broncos and then during the 2023 season in Miami. This could be a reunion worth considering. Chubb is signed through 2027, but even though his 2025 cap hit is $12,327,739, that number swells to $31,202,739 and $31,535,250 in 2026 and 2027, respectively.
The reason to consider him is evident if the Eagles are willing to express interest. He remains one of the more talented veterans at his position. These conversations, however, always come down to money. With there being so many players to consider for extensions in the near future (Reed Blankenship, Dallas Goedert, Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean, and Jordan Davis, to name several), Chubb seems like someone who’d be more expensive than Philadelphia needs him to be.
Arguments for and against acquiring Jaelan Phillips
Another former first-rounder, Jaelan Phillips, also played for Vic Fangio in Miami during the 2023 season. He notched 6.5 sacks in only eight games with six starts after previously posting 8.5 and seven-sack seasons as a rookie and second-year player.
He wasn’t able to stay healthy in 2024 either, but he seems to be rounding back into form as he has started every game of the current NFL season. He represents a $13,259,505, which is probably more than the Eagles want to spend, but if they want to make a serious run at a title, Philadelphia needs at the time of this story’s release.
The verdict: Howie Roseman hasn’t always struck gold with midseason veteran signings or trades, and there’s no evidence that these guys remedy the pass-rushing issue. Things have gotten so dire, however, that the Eagles’ leadership must take action, and although there are options, many are unrealistic due to the significant sacrifices required to acquire them.
Joe Douglas has seen a lot of Chubb and Phillips while serving as the New York Jets’ general manager. Vic Fangio, as mentioned, once coached these guys. They may be the best sources for determining whether or not this type of move makes sense. Frankly, it’s easy to argue that the best option is to move Jihaad Campbell to edge rusher and reinsert Nakobe Dean at linebacker, but that seems a better topic for another day.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Should the Eagles target Jaelan Phillips or Bradley Chubb in a trade?
