Potential trade targets for Eagles to boost edge rusher position
The Eagles might have needed help at the edge rusher position before Za’Darius Smith’s abrupt retirement on Monday.
Now they definitely need help.
While Nolan Smith (triceps) is expected to return off IR later this season, the Eagles are light at the outside linebacker spot. Their four healthy edge rushers going into Week 7 are Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari and Patrick Johnson.
There are three weeks before the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. and Eagles GM Howie Roseman is never shy about picking up the phone. For now, Roseman has seven draft picks in 2026 and the Eagles are expected to get three more compensatory picks next offseason.
With that in mind, here are some potential trade targets at the edge rusher position:
Trey Hendrickson
Team: Bengals
Age: 30 | (6-4, 265)
Contract status: Final year of deal
During the offseason, Hendrickson’s name popped up a bunch because he wanted a new contract. Eventually, he signed a revised one-year deal with the Bengals worth $29 million. While the Bengals did just trade for Joe Flacco, an indication that they’re not ready to punt on the 2025 season, they are 2-4 after losing the last four games. Hendrickson is 30 and will turn 31 on Dec. 5 but he’s still playing at a very high level. The four-time Pro Bowler has 4 sacks and 8 QB hits through 6 games after having 17 1/2 sacks in each of the last two seasons. Hendrickson would be a plug-and-play starter and the biggest swing the Eagles could take in a trade this season. Hendrickson is the best player on this list and he would require the biggest haul.
Bradley Chubb
Team: Dolphins
Age: 29 | (6-4, 268)
Contract status: 2 years left after 2025, no guarantees
The Dolphins are 1-5 with their only win coming over the Jets in late September. So it wouldn’t be a shock to see them start to unload some of their talent. Chubb, 29, missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL but has started all 6 games in 2025 and is playing well. He has 4 sacks and 6 QB hits this season. Chubb signed a five-year extension with the Dolphins in 2022 and has two years left on his contract after this season but without any guaranteed money. Chubb played for DC Vic Fangio in both Denver and Miami and was a Pro Bowler under him in 2020.
Jaelan Phillips
Team: Dolphins
Age: 26 | (6-5, 263)
Contract status: 5th-year option season
Another potential target from the 1-5 Dolphins is Phillips. The 26-year-old former first-round pick has been limited with injuries in recent seasons. He played just 8 games in 2023 and just 4 games in 2024. While he has just one sack this season, Phillips has started all six games for the Dolphins in 2025. Phillips is playing the 2025 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, so he’ll be a free agent in March. It’s worth noting that Fangio coached Phillips in Miami in 2023. Normally, familiarity is a good thing but Fangio didn’t seem to mesh well with that locker room, so it’s not clear how his relationship is with Phillips.
Matt Judon
Team: Dolphins
Age: 33 | (6-3, 275)
Contract status: On 1-year deal
Yeah, let’s add one more Dolphins player to the list. Judon is the oldest of the bunch and just signed a one-year deal with Miami in August. He has played just 32% of their defensive snaps this year. With the Falcons in 2024, Judon played all 17 games and started 15 and had 5 1/2 sacks. He might no longer be the Pro Bowler he was from 2019-2022, but maybe he could help in a limited role like the one Za’Darius Smith was supposed to have.
Jermaine Johnson II
Team: Jets
Age: 26 | (6-5, 254)
Contract status: Final year of rookie deal, 5th-year exercised
The Jets are 0-6 and if they start to sell off some talent, the Eagles should be interested in Johnson. The former first-round pick wouldn’t be cheap but he could really help and he was drafted by Joe Douglas, who is now back with the Eagles. Johnson missed most of the 2024 season but returned this year. While Johnson has been limited to just three games this year, he did pick up his first sack of the season on Sunday. And Johnson was an ascending player before losing most of his 2024 season; he was a Pro Bowler in 2023.
Kayvon Thibodeaux
Team: Giants
Age: 24 | (6-5, 258)
Contract status: Final year of rookie deal, 5th-year exercised
The former No. 5 overall pick has played 75% of the Giants’ defensive snaps this season and has 2 1/2 sacks and 8 QB hits. So why would New York trade him? Well, they already have Brian Burns and they drafted Abdul Carter in April. So in some ways, Thibodeaux may end up being the odd man out. The 24-year-old is in the final year of his rookie contract but the Giants did pick up his fifth-year option for 2026 at $14.75 million. So if a team were to trade for Thibodeaux, that fifth-year option would be inherited by the new club. The Cowboys were unwilling to trade Micah Parsons to the Eagles and it’s possible the Giants wouldn’t want to help a fellow NFC East team either.
Kingsley Enagbare
Team: Packers
Age: 25 | (6-4, 258)
Contract status: Final year of deal
The former fifth-round pick is a bit buried in Green Bay behind Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness, so perhaps he’ll be available before he leaves in free agency. In five games this season, Enagbare has played just 85 snaps and has just 8 tackles and 1 QB hit. His best season came in 2024, when he started 7 games and had 4 1/2 tackles, 8 QB hits and 6 TFLs.
Arden Key
Team: Titans
Age: 29 | (6-5, 240)
Contract status: Final year of deal
The Titans are 1-5 and just fired their coach so it’s possible they start unloading talent. Key, 29, is in the final year of his three-year deal with the Titans and has been relatively productive after previously playing with the Raiders, 49ers and Jaguars. In his first two seasons with the Titans, Key had 12 1/2 sacks in 33 games. In 2025, Key hasn’t been as productive with just 6 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks in 5 games; Key missed their Week 6 game with a quad injury.
Keion White
Team: Patriots
Age: 26 | (6-5, 285)
Contract status: 1 year left after 2025
The 2023 second-round pick from Georgia Tech was a full-time starter in his second NFL season but is a rotational player in Year 3. As a starter in 2024, White had 5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits and showed some flashes. He’s obviously a bigger lineman who can play multiple positions on the line. White has been dealing with an elbow injury and missed Week 6.
Anfernee Jennings
Team: Patriots
Age: 28 | (6-2, 255)
Contract status: 1 year left after 2025
Like White, Jennings was a full-time starter with the Patriots in 2024 but is now a rotational player with the Patriots. In 2025, Jennings has played just 65 defensive snaps and has 7 tackles. Even as a full-time starter in 2024, Jennings wasn’t super productive with 78 tackles and just 2 1/2 sacks. Jennings has been dealing with an ankle injury and missed Week 6.
Potential trade targets for Eagles to boost edge rusher position
