February 20, 2026
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Eagles edge defender Jaelan Phillips could command a pretty penny next month on the free-agent market.
Over the next few weeks, we'll be taking a position-by-position look at which players will likely be back with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2026, and which ones likely won't. Today we'll continue on with the edge defenders.
Regarding the polls below, they are your votes on what you think the Eagles should do, not necessarily what you think they will do. Please think of them more as approval polls for each player.
Previous "stay or go" polls
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Offensive tackle | Guard | Center
After attempting to trade for superstar edge defenders like Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons before the 2025 season, the Eagles did eventually land an established edge rusher in Phillips, who cost a third-round pick at the trade deadline.
In eight games with the Eagles, Phillips had 28 tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks, 4 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a recovery. Those are just OK numbers, but "Instant Observations: often pointed to Phillips' rushes that created sacks or other plays for teammates.
Based on snap counts, Phillips was Vic Fangio's top edge defender after the Eagles acquired him. The edges' snap counts per game, from Week 10 on (omitting the Week 18 "resting starters" game against the Commanders):
Phillips was a Dolphins first-round pick (18th overall) in 2021. He played for Fangio during Fangio's one-year tenure as Miami's defensive coordinator in 2023. Phillips' career stats:
| Jaelan Phillips | Tackles | Sacks | FF-FR |
| 2021 (17 games) | 42 | 8.5 | 0-1 |
| 2022 (17 games) | 61 | 7 | 1-2 |
| 2023 (8 games) | 43 | 6.5 | 0-0 |
| 2024 (4 games) | 6 | 1 | 0-0 |
| 2025 (17 games) | 53 | 5 | 1-2 |
Phillips was having a breakout season under Fangio in 2023, when he had 6.5 sacks in 8 games, but that season was cut short by a torn Achilles. In 2024, Phillips tore an ACL that ended his season after just four games.
Injuries are not new to Phillips, who was a big-time prospect coming out of high school. He was ranked No. 2 in the nation by 247Sports, No. 3 by ESPN Recruiting, and No. 6 by Rivals. He initially enrolled at UCLA, but suffered multiple injuries, plus a moped accident that severely damaged his wrist. He actually retired at one point while in college. Phillips would eventually transfer to Miami and return to football, missing the 2019 season. He had a good 2020 season, though, and became a first-round pick.
That injury history makes his potential value on the open market difficult to project. A lot of national media types believe that Phillips will attract huge offers, however, none were willing to part with more than a third-round pick at the trade deadline last year, or Phillips would've been traded elsewhere.
Phillips is a good fit in Philly. Obviously, Fangio wanted him, and he is a bigger edge defender than Hunt and Smith.
• Jaelan Phillips: 6'5, 266
• Jalyx Hunt: 6'3, 252
• Nolan Smith: 6'2, 238
He brings a bit of a power element to the Eagles' edge rush, whereas Hunt and Smith rely more on their speed. If Phillips leaves in free agency, the Eagles won't really have anyone long-term with decent size on the edge.
Add in that Phillips called his trade to the Eagles the best day of his life, and that the Eagles gave up a third-round pick to get him, and it feels like he will be a priority re-signing for the Eagles this offseason.
As for the cost, if Phillips signs, I dunno, a three-year deal worth like $60 million (does feel about right?), with the way the Eagles structure contracts he'll only count on their cap for somewhere around $5 million in 2026. If he costs less, great. They can certainly do it if they want to make him a priority. It's just a matter of whether some other team out there desperate for help on the edge makes him an insane offer not worth matching. Ultimately, I believe Phillips will be back. Stay.
Smith had a quiet rookie season in 2023 and his second season in 2024 got off to a slow start. However, the light seemed to come on for him after the Week 5 bye in 2024. In the 15 games he played from October on, Smith had 10.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles, and he did a lot of the dirty work in the defense like taking on pulling guards and burying them. He also led the NFL with four postseason sacks.
Smith entered 2025 as a budding star, and the Eagles' top edge defender. However, he did not have the season that he or the Eagles were hoping for, as he missed five games after aggravating a triceps injury that he suffered in the previous year's Super Bowl. He was also on a pitch count upon his return.
The Eagles have to decide this offseason whether or not they want to exercise Smith's fifth-year option for 2027, which would cost a projected $15.4 million. (Spoiler: I believe they will, based on the breakout season he had in 2024.)
But certainly, Smith will be back in 2026, at a minimum, and the Eagles will hope he returns to his 2024 form. Stay.
Hunt had a breakout season in 2025. From Week 7 on, Hunt filled up the stat sheet in a variety of ways. In the Eagles' final 11 games, he had 38 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 19 QB hits, 3 INTs (including a pick-six), a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 3 pass breakups.
He has quickly become a highly versatile player who can rush the passer, play the run, and probably most notably, drop into coverage extraordinarily well for an edge defender. Stay.
Graham came out of retirement and played in the Eagles' last 10 games of the season (playoffs included). He only played 120 snaps (12 per game), but was a productive enough role player, making 8 tackles (2 for loss), and 3 sacks. He also filled in at times on the interior when the Eagles were thin there due to injury, and he played reasonably well.
During appearances on PHLY, Graham has hinted at returning again in 2026. He's still good enough to make positive contributions in a small role, and the team values his positive presence in the locker room. As long the cost is minimal, I imagine the team would welcome him back. Stay.
I thought Uche showed some juice as a situational pass rusher at times very early in the season, but ultimately he just didn't make enough plays and was replaced in the lineup by Graham and Phillips. In the first eight games, Uche played 204 snaps. Thereafter, he didn't play another snap until the Week 18 "resting starters" game against the Commanders, and was often a healthy scratch.
I do think Fangio liked Uche to some degree, but the team would be better served to find a younger player to fill out the back end of the roster. Go.
Ojulari was the presumed third edge defender in the pecking order when he signed with the Eagles as a free agent last offseason, but he got passed by guys like Jaelan Phillips, Brandon Graham, Josh Uche, Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Patrick Johnson on the depth chart throughout training camp and the regular season. He appeared in just three games, and only played 67 snaps. The Eagles likely won't have any interest in retaining Ojulari, and he probably won't want to come back. Go.
Okoronkwo was signed to provide edge depth, and he had a decent enough training camp. He played in just one game (4 snaps in Tampa) before tearing his triceps and missing the rest of the season on injured reserve. Okoronkwo will turn 31 in April. Go.
Green = Stay
Red = Go
Blue = Will be back in camp in 2025, but a 53-man roster spot is not a given.
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| QB | Jalen Hurts (stay) | Tanner McKee (stay) | Sam Howell (go) | |
| RB | Saquon Barkley (stay) | Tank Bigsby (stay) | Will Shipley (stay) | A.J. Dillon (go) |
| WR | A.J. Brown (go) | DeVonta Smith (stay) | Jahan Dotson (go) | Darius Cooper (back in camp) |
| WR (cont.) | Britain Covey (back in camp) | Johnny Wilson (back in camp) | ||
| TE/FB | Dallas Goedert (go) | Grant Calcaterra (go) | Kylen Granson (go) | Cameron Latu (back in camp) |
| TE/FB (cont.) | Ben VanSumeren (back in camp) | |||
| OT | Lane Johnson (stay) | Jordan Mailata (stay) | Fred Johnson (go) | Cameron Williams (back in camp) |
| OT (cont.) | Myles Hinton (back in camp) | |||
| OG | Landon Dickerson (stay) | Tyler Steen (stay) | Matt Pryor (go) | |
| C | Cam Jurgens (stay) | Brett Toth (back in camp) | Drew Kendall (stay) | Willie Lampkin (back in camp) |
| ED | Jaelan Phillips (stay) | Nolan Smith (stay) | Jalyx Hunt (stay) | Brandon Graham (stay) |
| ED (cont.) | Josh Uche (go) | Azeez Ojulari (go) | Ogbo Okoronkwo (go) | |
| iDL | ||||
| OBLB | ||||
| CB | ||||
| S | ||||
| K/P/LS |
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