Roseman’s splash came on Monday, a day before the New York Jets fire sale stole the headlines. Philadelphia’s big move was agreeing to send a 2026 third-round pick to the rebooting Miami Dolphins for a player the Eagles have long coveted, fifth-year edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
Roseman confirmed that the organization did a lot of work on the 2021 No. 18 overall pick leading up to that draft. Phillips ultimately went to the Dolphins when the Eagles were in no man’s land after moving back up the draft bord to select receiver DeVonta Smith at No. 10 overall.
Things worked out for Roseman and the Eagles who got two high-level players in Smith and Landon Dickerson at No. 37 overall. Phillips, now 26, laid in between the two current Eagles’ stars.
If things had unfolded differently, however, Phillips was a player the Eagles’ personnel department loved after a college career that started at UCLA and finished cross country with the Miami Hurricanes.
The Process Starts In College
“The process starts with college and we spent a lot of time with [Phillips] coming out of college, knowing the person,” Roseman said when Eagles On SI asked the GM about Phillips’ fit. “It’s real easy to scout the player. He’s got freak ability. He can rush. He can set the edge. He can play in space. He’s got a non-stop motor.”
One trait all great edge rushers have in common is that motor.
“I think one of the most fun things to do is to put on his tape and watch his effort,” Roseman said of Phillips. “When you have the athleticism and physical ability he has with the effort he has [it’s impressive].”
Add in strong character and getting into business with Phillips was a no-brainer for Roseman.
“Just going on and seeing he was a Walter Payton Man of the Year [Nominee] in Miami, the things he does in the community. He comes from an unbelievable family,” said Roseman.
The final piece of the puzzle with Phillips and the Eagles was the player’s history with Vic Fangio.
Arguably, Phillips played his best football in 2023 before being injured when Fangio was running the Dolphins’ defense.
“Obviously Vic was with him so a lot of times when you’re talking to your coaches and you have a vision for how the player is going to fit, you have to have those discussions but that discussion was really easy with Coach Fangio,” Roseman said before joking with Eagles’ PR chief Bob Lange about the veteran defensive coordinator.
“I think I just said that discussion was real easy with Coach Fangio, wow,” Roseman smiled.
Others can debate whether the Eagles have up too much for a player with a somewhat concerning injury history who has just nine game left and any playoff run on his expiring contract.
For Roseman, it was an easy decision.
“I think it was just for us where we are as a team, what we believe in is important to win a world championship and to be on a great team, it really wasn’t a hard trade to make,” the GM said.
