The Carolina Panthers inked edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to a four-year, $120 million deal last week, hoping that the flashes he has shown in his first five NFL seasons will turn him into one of the league’s best pass rushers.
After suffering a torn Achilles and torn ACL, he suffered in back-to-back seasons while playing for the Miami Dolphins, but in a healthy 2025 campaign for the Philadelphia Eagles, Phillips posted impressive numbers while appearing in all 17 games.
“I feel like I’m a very fundamentally sound player, with the run and being back in coverage when I’m dropping, whether I’m rushing the quarterback,” Phillips, who garnered 5 sacks and 61 quarterback pressures.
“So, I try to be a technician. I try to be very fundamentally sound when it comes to doing my job for the team, so I feel like that’s what I bring.”
Phillips is ready to help out Carolina with his versatility along the line of scrimmage.
“I definitely can say that I’m versatile in the sense that I can get down to the 3 (technique), I can play the edge,” he said. “I can walk out in coverage. I can drop back to the inside backer if I need to. I’ve done a lot of things in a lot of different defenses.
“I think that’s kind of one of the fortunate things that I’ve had different coordinators with different teams, different position coaches, stuff like that. So, I’ve had a lot of experience and been involved in a lot of different systems, so I think that I can definitely contribute in that sense of just being versatile and allowing the defense to be able to be multiple because you don’t have to worry about my position.”
Phillips knows he needs to turn all of his pressures into more sacks, and he’s ready to show he can do just that.
“The one thing I know about myself is I’m going to get after the quarterback,” promised Phillips. “I’m going to affect him. I’m going to get my hand in his face. I’m going to take the tackle back into him.
“I think for me, I’m excited about expanding my game and really getting that finishing aspect and turning a lot of the disruption into production.”
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.