From Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/55beehz8
PHILADELPHIA — With the dust settled from Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Eagles enter the second half of the season with a clear message from general manager Howie Roseman: We’re not standing still.
“It’s our job to make sure that no stone is left unturned when we’re trying to acquire talent,” Roseman said Tuesday. “It doesn’t stop just because the trade deadline has stopped. We’ll continue to monitor every possible area to improve.”
Unlike some other teams that made a flurry of deals under the wire, Roseman had already pulled the trigger on three trades in the past week — acquiring slot/corner Michael Carter II from the Jets, outside cornerback Jaire Alexander from Baltimore and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from Miami.
Pass rusher and second outside corner were the two soft spots on the Birds’ roster, and the GM addressed them both in the span of six days.
Alexander — a two-time Pro Bowl selection — could start on the outside, opposite Quinyon Mitchell, as soon as possible. Carter offers overall depth behind Cooper DeJean at nickel (and also plays some safety). DeJean could see expanded time outside in base packages.
Phillips, who tore his Achilles in 2023 and ACL in 2024, has been mostly healthy this year. He has three sacks and 26 in his career, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio coached him with the Dolphins.
“He’s got freak ability,” Roseman said of Phillips, for whom he gave up a 2026 third-round pick. “He can rush, he can set the edge, he can play in space. … And then Vic was with him.
“When you have the athleticism, with the effort he has, and he was Walter Payton Man of the Year in Miami and comes from a great family, it really wasn’t a hard trade to make.”
With the addition of Phillips, the edge room appears to be shaping up. Nolan Smith’s practice window was opened as he nears a return from IR and Brandon Graham is back from retirement to go along with Jalyx Hunt and Moro Ojomo — bolstering a line that includes Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis inside.
The plan is rotation and fresh legs.
“You can never have enough pass rushers,” Roseman said. “It just opens up all the possibilities to really be a dominant defensive front when you combine our interior with them. … Our best teams, we’ve been fortunate to be in three Super Bowls over the last eight years, and they’ve been led by our front.”
The corner overhaul came in layers and was low risk. Philadelphia acquired Carter for receiver John Metchie and a 2027 sixth, and also received a 2027 seventh from New York. Alexander cost a 2026 sixth-rounder and came with a 2027 seventh-rounder from the Ravens.
“I think the first half of the season showed us how important corner depth is,” Roseman said. “We had a bunch of games here where we didn’t have our full complement of guys. It’s a position that you need to have a bunch of guys here for the amount of games that we’re trying to play.
“What we’re really trying to do is we’re trying to be able to match up with all kinds of shapes and sizes at the wide receiver position in the secondary. When you have guys who can do that, it just gives you so much flexibility when you’re going to play different teams and the different types of receivers they have, different types of tight ends, even backs coming out of the backfield.”
A.J. Brown wasn’t going anywhere
Outside noise swirled, but the team’s stance didn’t waver. There was never any real consideration of trading star wide receiver A.J. Brown, despite his social-media posts and frequent unhappiness with his underuse in the offense.
“When you’re trying to be a great team, it’s hard to trade great players, and A.J. Brown’s a great player,” Roseman said. “He wears the ‘C’ (signifying a team captain) for a reason. He’s an important part of this team, of this organization. He cares about winning, he cares about his teammates, and I think that when you’re a team like ours that is looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship, you just don’t get rid of guys like that.
“We feel very lucky to have him on our team and we’re excited about the second half of the season with him.”
Notes
The Eagles released OLB Patrick Johnson from the active roster and WR Terrace Marshall from the practice squad. … The Eagles (6-2) are tied with Tampa Bay and Seattle for the best record in the NFC. This is the fourth straight year the Birds have started 6-2 or better. … Ahead of Monday night’s game in Green Bay, the Eagles are 9-0 (including playoffs) against NFC North teams under coach Nick Sirianni (and 3-0 against the Packers).
—
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.