Vic Fangio's defense is finally getting a much-needed boost with the addition of Jaelan Phillips, a former Dolphins edge rusher who had a breakout season last year under Fangio's watch. The move comes as a surprise, given Fangio's general distaste for personnel moves made by executive vice president Howie Roseman. However, it appears that Roseman had little or no input in the signing of Phillips.
Phillips' impressive 2023 campaign saw him rack up 6.5 sacks in just eight games, including a stretch of five consecutive games with at least one sack. His injury-plagued past and current health have raised some concerns, but he has shown remarkable resilience, returning strongly after suffering a partial ACL tear.
The arrival of Phillips should give Fangio more ammunition to attack opposing quarterbacks, and potentially alleviate the defense's woes at cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell. If the trio of Phillips, Jalyx Hunt, and Nolan Smith can play together effectively, it could allow Fangio to scale back on blitzing, a tactic that has been exposed by the team's deficiencies in this area.
Fangio typically favors a four-man rush, but his blitz rate has been higher than usual this season. However, with Phillips on board, he may be able to reduce the number of blitzes and focus more on the pass rush. This could help the Eagles better mask their issues at cornerback and potentially achieve greater success down the stretch.
The signing of Phillips marks a significant development in Fangio's efforts to build a more well-rounded defense. While it remains to be seen how he will utilize his new addition, it appears that Roseman has finally made a move that could pay off for the team.
Phillips' impressive 2023 campaign saw him rack up 6.5 sacks in just eight games, including a stretch of five consecutive games with at least one sack. His injury-plagued past and current health have raised some concerns, but he has shown remarkable resilience, returning strongly after suffering a partial ACL tear.
The arrival of Phillips should give Fangio more ammunition to attack opposing quarterbacks, and potentially alleviate the defense's woes at cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell. If the trio of Phillips, Jalyx Hunt, and Nolan Smith can play together effectively, it could allow Fangio to scale back on blitzing, a tactic that has been exposed by the team's deficiencies in this area.
Fangio typically favors a four-man rush, but his blitz rate has been higher than usual this season. However, with Phillips on board, he may be able to reduce the number of blitzes and focus more on the pass rush. This could help the Eagles better mask their issues at cornerback and potentially achieve greater success down the stretch.
The signing of Phillips marks a significant development in Fangio's efforts to build a more well-rounded defense. While it remains to be seen how he will utilize his new addition, it appears that Roseman has finally made a move that could pay off for the team.
! I'm low-key hyped about this move, especially with the struggles they've had at cornerback all season. With Phillips joining forces with Hunt and Smith, it could be a game-changer for their pass rush. Fangio's got some ammo now to take down QBs and finally alleviate that blitzing issue 
. Not sure how Roseman's input played a role in this signing, but I'm glad he made the call – this might just turn things around for Philly! 
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I mean, can we talk about how weird it is that Howie Roseman didn't even get a say in this signing? Like, Fangio does have a rep for not wanting to make personnel changes, but you'd think there would be some sort of communication or something. It feels like they just went behind his back and did what they wanted. 
now lets see if fangio can utilize him correctly cuz right now blitzing just isnt workin for our defense 
hopefully this new addition makes all the diff
. If he can stay healthy, he could be a game-changer opposite Mitchell and Hunt...Fangio's blitz rate has been up this season, so it'll be interesting to see if he scales back now that he's got some fresh faces on the roster 
! With Quinyon Mitchell and Nolan Smith already on board, it's gonna be interesting to see how Fangio utilizes these three guys together 
. Maybe they can reduce blitzes and focus more on pressuring QBs... that'd be a huge improvement 
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about this signing! Jaelan Phillips is like a breath of fresh air 
for Fangio's defense. He's got some issues with injuries and health, but he's shown he can bounce back strong 
. I love how Fangio might shift from blitzing as much to focusing on that 
can't they just stick with what works? Fangio's been doing a great job with his defense but this signing just feels like another thing to worry about... Phillips' injury history is major red flag, hope he stays healthy 
props to him for that! 
The guy brought it last year under Fangio's guidance and if he can replicate that performance, we're talking top-notch pass rusher here. 
Now, I know some people were worried about his injury history, but it sounds like he's shown some serious resilience and that's awesome to see! 
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and if this new combo of Hunt, Smith & Phillips clicks, I think our D will be a whole different ball game 
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