Matt Higgins
The Philadelphia Eagles were thin at edge rusher coming into the season with Josh Sweat leaving in free agency and Brandon Graham retiring, but it got worse with Nolan Smith on injured reserve and Ogbo Okoronkwo out for the season as both suffered triceps injuries. The pass rush hasn’t performed well through the first four weeks as the team has just five sacks, better than only three other teams in the league. If the Birds want to repeat as champions, they need to start putting much more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. To do that, they might have to look to the trade market. Here are five edge rushers the Eagles should target.
Trey Hendrickson: Cincinnati Bengals
The biggest name on the list is Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who was in a contract dispute with the franchise for several months this offseason before agreeing to a revised one-year, $30 million deal. The eight-year veteran has emerged as one of the best pass rushers in the league over the last several years, with back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, four straight Pro Bowl appearances and a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2024. With the Bengals floundering at 2-2 and Joe Burrow out until at least December, the season is quickly circling the drain. Hendrickson is an impending unrestricted free agent, and it would behoove Cincinnati to acquire draft assets ahead of the trade deadline. The Eagles have plenty of draft capital to make a worthwhile offer.
Joseph Ossai: Cincinnati Bengals
The Eagles could also target Hendrickson’s teammate Joseph Ossai. The 25-year-old out of the University of Texas is entering the last year of his rookie contract and would cost substantially less than Hendrickson. Ossai has 10.5 sacks in 51 games over four seasons, to go along with two forced fumbles and three pass breakups. Pro Football Focus ranks Ossai 108th out of 158 defensive ends with a pass rush grade of 53.5.
Jaelan Phillips: Miami Dolphins
With the Miami Dolphins having just one win through the first four weeks, they could be looking to sell sooner rather than later. If they do, the Eagles could target edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who is in the fifth year of his rookie deal. Phillips, the 18th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was limited to four games in 2024 after tearing his ACL and played just eight games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending Achilles tear. But when he’s healthy, he’s been productive, recording 23 sacks in 50 games.
This season, Pro Football Focus has Phillips at a 73.4 pass rush grade — good for 32nd out of 165 edge rushers. The Eagles could potentially give up only a Day 3 pick for Phillips, who could use the opportunity to revitalize his career with a Super Bowl-caliber team.
Bradley Chubb: Miami Dolphins
Another Dolphin the Eagles could target is edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL. Chubb has three sacks on the young season and 42.5 overall in seven seasons, including two years of double-digit sacks. He signed a five-year, $110 million extension in the middle of the 2022 season after the Dolphins acquired him from the Denver Broncos. Through the first four weeks, Pro Football Focus ranks Chubb 151st out of 165 edge rushers with a pass rush grade of 55.4.
Cameron Jordan: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are 0-4 as they go through another rebuild. With future Hall of Famer Cameron Jordan nearing the end of his career, they can do right by him by sending him to a Super Bowl contender so he can win his first championship. Jordan has 2.5 sacks on the season to go along with four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. The three-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler ranks 61st out of 165 edge rushers by Pro Football Focus and third overall with a superb 81.8 run defense grade. He’s playing on a one-year, $6.05 million contract.
