Emmanuel Acho Believes the Eagles Made a “Super Bowl Winning Acquisition” by Trading for LB Jaelan Phillips

The Philadelphia Eagles may have pulled the trade of the deadline by acquiring edge rusher Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a third-round pick.

Some might say that’s an easy take, given how quiet the trade window has been. But if Emmanuel Acho is to be believed, GM Howie Roseman may have just shaped the Eagles’ Super Bowl destiny with this move.

“Shoutout to this Eagles team for a gigantic acquisition… Number one, it’s a necessary acquisition, and number two, it is a quality acquisition… I would go as far as to say a Super Bowl-winning acquisition. Howie Roseman does it again,” Acho said in a video posted from a plane shortly after the trade was announced.

From an objective lens, the excitement around Phillips’ arrival doesn’t seem misplaced. At just 26 years old, the former first-round pick already boasts 26 sacks in 38 career starts, roughly an 11.5-sack pace across a full season. Moreover, his best outing came in 2023, under current Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, when Phillips recorded 6.5 sacks in eight games before an Achilles injury ended his season.

Fangio, who once called Phillips “a great player we’re going to miss tremendously” after the LB’s season-ending injury in Miami, now gets a reunion with his most productive young pass rusher. And building on this point, Acho emphasizes that Phillips brings both raw athleticism and refined craft.

“He has legitimate pass rush moves that he commits to memory… He loves to club with the right hand, arm-over move, and he wins nearly every single time… These aren’t lucky sacks. These aren’t effort sacks. These are legitimate, ‘I have a plan and I’m going to execute my plan’- caliber sacks,” Acho said.

Beyond his pass-rush arsenal, Phillips also adds a level of physicality that Philadelphia’s defense has lacked. Acho broke down tape showing the newly acquired Eagles member dominating tight ends at the line of scrimmage and playing the run with power, proving he’s not a finesse-only rusher. “He’s also a physical, sit-you-down type of football player,” Acho concluded.

Still, the analyst didn’t shy away from the injury risk, noting that Phillips has suffered an Achilles and a knee injury in consecutive seasons. But that’s part of why this deal is smart business, Acho added.

With the Dolphins having already picked up Phillips’ fifth-year option, the Eagles gain both upside and flexibility. “Worst case, it’s a rental — but it’s a Super Bowl-calibre rental… And if he plays well, you extend him for years to come.” 

Considering Philadelphia ranked just 24th in the NFL in sacks before the trade, the addition of Phillips, a power rusher with technique and youth, directly addresses one of the team’s most glaring weaknesses.

So safe to say, this was more of a statement of intent from the Eagles than a luxury move. And who knows, if Emmanuel Acho’s words hold, it may also be the move that bridges the gap between contention and coronation for Philly.