Jaelan Phillips fits right in during emotional Eagles debut
Jaelan Phillips fits right in during emotional Eagles debut originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
GREEN BAY, Wis. - This game meant something extra to Jaelan Phillips.
And he played like it.
After Phillips called getting traded to Philadelphia the greatest thing that's happened to me in my whole life," the newest Eagles edge rusher had a phenomenal debut in the 10-7 win over the Packers.
I just felt super grateful," Phillips said. It was the first time in a while that I got a little emotional before a game. Obviously, this stage and coming here, it's my first time at Lambeau, walking out of that tunnel. It doesn't get better than that. I'm definitely grateful.
Felt amazing energy from the guys. There was just an air of confidence and everybody played together. We had a great game, honestly. Super gritty. I'm just grateful to be here for sure."
Phillips, 26, got the start on Monday night and then played a great game. He had 6 tackles, 2 QB hits, a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and he blew up a run on a crucial 4th-and-1 late in the fourth quarter.
A week after the Eagles traded a 2026 third-round pick to acquire him ahead of the trade deadline, Phillips was a star in a hard-fought defensive win. He was just one piece of a defensive line that played the Packers extremely tough all evening. Phillips played 53 of 68 defensive snaps (78%) in his Eagles debut.
That shows the athlete he is," Jalen Carter said. For him to come over here and have an impact game like that, especially how the game went, low-scoring game. He's a dawg. We seen it on film when he was in Miami. I know Vic (Fangio) knew him, had good words about him and he came out and he's going to keep balling."
Phillips on Monday was credited with seven pressures on 36 pass rushes, according to NFL NextGen Stats. It's the most pressures he's had in a game since the 2022 season.
And the Eagles, as a team, pressured Packers quarterback Jordan Love on 17 of his 42 dropbacks. That 40.5% pressure rate is the second-highest he has faced all season.
But Phillips (6-5, 263) isn't just some finesse pass rusher. He's a bigger-bodied guy who has the ability to stop the run and we saw that from him on Monday too as Josh Jacobs averaged just 3.5 yards per attempt.
It's equally as important, if not more important," Phillips said. Obviously, the sacks are flashy. Everybody talks about pass rush but truly you can't rush the passer unless you stop the run. I think it's a bit of a pride thing. You can kind of see pass rush as more finesse, more sexy. But stopping the run is gritty. It's hard and it takes toughness. I think that's what we showed."
Phillips played under Fangio in Miami back in 2023 and that familiarity helped him catch up over the last week since the trade. Phillips admitted that you naturally forget a system after some time but his recall allowed him to feel comfortable on the field in Green Bay.
Did Fangio have any words of encouragement for Phillips before the game?
Nah, just a firm handshake.
Makes sense. Phillips has been all business since he got to Philly.
I just think about his week of practice and how he goes about his business," head coach Nick Sirianni said. He runs full volume. He loves working. You can just see it, the way he was running around at practice. His motor is constantly running, just pushing to get better. So obviously it was a really big impact that he made tonight for his first game as an Eagle. Again, I have to look at the tape, but he did a lot of good things that you can see off of."
After his impressive debut, Phillips noticed a couple of Eagles fans in the stands at around the 10-yard line wearing his No. 50 jerseys. It was his dad and his uncle.
It was just another cool moment in a night Phillips will never forget. And a night he hopes is just the beginning of this new chapter of his football life.
It was a new feeling," Phillips said. This was just symbolic of a lot of change in my life and a new path, new destiny. For this to be the first game and for it to play out how it did, I just think it's surreal."