Phillips spent the early part of his career with the Miami Dolphins before being traded during the 2025 season to the Philadelphia Eagles, giving him a fresh start on a deep defensive front. When healthy, Phillips has consistently displayed high-level traits, including elite burst from the rim and the ability to generate pressure quickly. However, injuries have been the biggest factor preventing him from becoming a consistent double-digit sack producer.
Advertisement
During the 2025 season split between Miami and Philadelphia, Phillips showed the same disruptive flashes on rotational plays, creating pressure and impacting plays even within a deep Eagles pass rush rotation. Phillips finished the 2025 season with 5 sacks and a forced fumble. That combination of upside and durability concerns with multiple injuries throughout his career will likely shape his value heading into free agency.
For Tampa Bay, Phillips would represent a bigger change than some of the older veteran running backs expected to hit the market.
The Buccaneers have shown they are willing to rotate defensive linemen to keep the pass rush fresh, and adding a player with Phillips’ athletic profile could help raise the unit’s ceiling without forcing a long-term commitment. Financially, your market could be interesting. According to Spotrac, players with strong traits but a recent injury history often get short-term deals with lots of incentives. That type of structure could make sense for Tampa Bay if they want to bet on the upside while managing risk.
The question is whether he could be Diaby’s true complement – or at least stay healthy enough to do so – and whether Philadelphia will allow him to hit the open market.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Jaelan Phillips could be a big upside target for Buccaneers