The Baltimore Ravens need help on defense, and they need it quickly.
Forget the NFL trade deadline on November 4. Deals need to start happening right away if the Ravens want to have any shot of making the playoffs after starting the regular season with a 2-5 record.
The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia thinks one player the Ravens should make a move for is Miami Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips – a former first round pick who might be able to step and be a difference maker from his first game.
The Dolphins have been imploding on an epic level since last season and seem like clear cut sellers ahead of the trade deadline, with Phillips an attractive chess piece for any contender.
Kapadia thinks the Ravens could get Phillips in exchange for a 2026 third round pick.
“The player I’ve got pegged for the Baltimore Ravens is Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins,” Kapadia said on “The Ringer NFL Show” podcast on October 28. ” … He only has 2 sacks this year, but he leads the Dolphins in QB pressures. He’s a free agent at the end of this season, so it’s not like you’re making some kind of big commitment and taking on a bunch of risk. He can help you now. So, he’s a fit, and maybe you re-sign him at the end of the season.”
Phillips Popular Trade Target Around NFL
The Dolphins picked up the fifth year extension on the 4-year, $14 million rookie contract Phillips signed in 2021 — money that will bring his career earnings to approximately $27.2 million following this season.
The Ravens would be on the hook for about half of Phillips’ $13.25 million salary for 2025 if they pull the trade off by the deadline.
“Playoff hopefuls are often in the market for edge-rushers, and the Miami Dolphins might have one to spare between now and the trade deadline,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote on September 10. ” … Moving Phillips would be logical if the Dolphins don’t turn things around quickly. Though season-ending injuries have impacted each of the last two seasons, the 26-year-old had 22 sacks over the first three years of his career. Finally healthy again, he could likely net Miami a high Day 3 pick at a minimum.”
Phillips Took Unusual Path to First Round
Phillips, 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, medically retired from football in December 2018 after a moped accident at UCLA.
Two years later, he returned to the game at the University of Miami, where he earned All-American and All-ACC honors with 45 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 16 TFL, 3 pass deflections and one interception in 10 games in 2020.
The Dolphins took him in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft (No. 18 overall) and he looked like he was on the verge of a true ascension to one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers in 2023 with 6.5 sacks through the first 8 games.
That’s when Philliips tore his Achilles tendon. He returned in Week 4 of the 2024 season against the Tennessee Titans but tore his ACL in his first game back.
Having those 2 major injuries in the last 3 seasons is something any team that makes a deal for Phillips should consider.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ravens Trade Pitch Lands 6-foot-5, 265-Pound Edge Rusher From AFC East appeared first on Heavy Sports.