New England Patriots
Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips has been one of the top speculated players to be traded ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
The Patriots might ask a division rival to help fill their need to improve at edge rusher.
New England is among a handful of teams targeting Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini reported Saturday. As the 49ers and Eagles are among the other teams interested in Phillips, the Dolphins are asking for at least a third-round pick for the standout edge rusher, Russini added.
Phillips has seemingly become one of the top players available across the NFL ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. The Dolphins fell to 2-7 following their loss to the Ravens on Thursday and parted ways with their general manager on Friday, raising the speculation that they could be trading players in the coming days. Phillips hasn’t been the reason for the Dolphins’ poor play, logging a sack on Thursday and two sacks in the last three games.
While all three of Phillips’s sacks this season have come in the last month, he’s seemed to regain the form he had prior to suffering an Achilles tear late in the 2023 season. He ranks 11th in pressures among edge rushers (32), per Pro Football Focus. He’s also tied for 13th in pass-rush win rate among edge rushers who’ve played at least five games this season (19.3).
Phillips has also been productive at stopping the run this season. He’s seventh among edge rushes in run-stop win rate (31 percent) to go along with 25 total tackles this season.
Phillips isn’t the only Dolphins edge rusher who’s been rumored to possibly get traded before the deadline, either. Veteran Bradley Chubb is also a trade candidate as he’s got four sacks this season.
Considering Phillips’s age (26) compared to Chubbs (29) and recent play, it’s easy to think Phillips is the more appealing option of the two. However, he’s also in the final year of his rookie contract, while Chubb has two years remaining on his current deal.
Phillips, who the Dolphins took in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, had 22 sacks over his first three seasons in the league. He had 6.5 in 2023 before the aforementioned Achilles injury cut his season short after eight games.
The Patriots aren’t necessarily in dire need of an edge rusher, but they could certainly use another body at the position. Their edge depth took a hit when they traded Keion White to the 49ers on Tuesday. There have also been rumors about Anfernee Jennings’s future with the team as he’s also a candidate to get moved ahead of the trade deadline.
In terms of production, the Patriots’ pass rush has had some ups and downs this season. Newcomers Harold Landry (5.5 sacks) and K’Lavon Chaisson (4.5 sacks) have been productive along the edge, while Milton Williams has also gotten to opposing quarterbacks a few times (3.5 sacks in the interior). Those three, plus Christian Barmore, have also ranked among the best at their respective positions in pass rush win rate and pressures as well.
But the Patriots have recorded just one sack or fewer in four of their last six games, failing to pressure opposing quarterbacks consistently. They’re tied for 13th in the league in sacks this season with 13.
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