Jaelan Phillips Reportedly Linked to Eagles, 49ers, Patriots at NFL Trade Deadline

Several contending teams have reportedly expressed interest in a trade for Miami Dolphins pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots are among the teams who have inquired about Phillips. The Dolphins are reportedly asking for at least a third-round pick in a trade for the 2021 No. 18 overall draft pick.

NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe shed more light on the Eagles' pursuit of Phillips:

Per Russini, the Dolphins have also received trade inquiries regarding veteran pass-rushers Bradley Chubb and Matthew Judon.

The 26-year-old Phillips is in the midst of his fifth NFL season, and while he has displayed immense potential at times, it can be argued that major injuries have prevented him from reaching it.

As a rookie in 2021, Phillips posted a career-high 8.5 sacks, and he followed that up with another seven sacks during his second NFL campaign.

However, the former University of Miami standout never got a chance to build on those showings, as a torn Achilles limited him to eight games in 2023, and a torn ACL limited him to just four games last season.

Phillips has returned to start all nine games for the Dolphins so far this season, but his production has been fairly modest, as he has recorded only three sacks, 25 tackles and three tackles for loss.

He has seemingly been hitting his stride lately with sacks in two of the Dolphins' past three games, which could compel teams in need of pass-rushing help to bet on his upward trajectory.

Following a 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, the Dolphins are 2-7 on the season, so barring a finish that sees them go 8-0 or 7-1, a trip to the playoffs isn't going to happen.

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On Friday, the team announced that a mutual decision was reached to part ways with general manager Chris Grier, resulting in Champ Kelly taking over as the interim GM.

Without a tenured GM in place with attachment to players on the roster, it could make it easier for the Dolphins to sell off pieces leading up to the deadline.

Since Phillips is set to become a free agent during the offseason, he may be the most obvious candidate to move, especially if the Dolphins can get some premium draft capital in return.

Judon is also on an expiring contract, whereas Chubb is signed through 2027, meaning a trade for him would require a bigger commitment.

The Eagles, 49ers and Patriots are all in playoff positions currently with Philly and New England leading their respective divisions.

San Francisco perhaps has the biggest EDGE need among them since Nick Bosa was lost for the season due to torn ACL, although the Niners did already acquire pass-rusher Keion White from the Pats this week.

With so many teams in the playoff race and potentially believing they can contend for a Super Bowl, the Dolphins arguably have a great deal of leverage due to the sheer number of quality pass-rushers they have available.