Ever since the Week 10 win over the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles fans have been ecstatic about their new acquisition, edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
In his debut in an Eagles uniform, Phillips had six tackles, two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and one fumble recovery in the win against the Packers. Everyone agreed that Phillips has been the pass rusher Philly has been missing all season, including the man who helped get him to Philadelphia, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Fangio spoke with the media for the first time since the Eagles traded a 2026 third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for Phillips. The Eagles' defensive coordinator was unsurprisingly complimentary of Phillips, but used a perfect metaphor to describe getting him.
“He plays hard. He’s strong at the point, good pass rusher. When you shop at Nordstrom, you get good stuff.”
Phillips is a perfect fit for Fangio's defense
Eagles fans shouldn't be caught off guard by the performance, as Phillips has already thrived under Fangio when the two were together in Miami back in 2023. Phillips had 43 tackles, 11 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and one interception in eight games before his season-ending injury.
Prior to his arrival, the Eagles' edge rushers struggled with 4.5 sacks leading up to the Packers game. Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt each got a sack, and the position group got five of the team's eight quarterback hits in the win at Green Bay.
It's clear as day that the position has undergone a massive upgrade with Smith back from his triceps injury and Phillips now in Philly. Hunt has been on a tear over the last three games and all of a sudden looks to be living up to all those breakout predictions from the beginning of the season.
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One player doesn't always make the kind of impact that Phillips has, but he has almost transformed the look of this defense in an instant.