PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles receiver A.J. Brown was too important to the team to move him at the trade deadline, general manager Howie Roseman said Tuesday.
"I think that when you're trying to be a great team, it's hard to trade great players, and A.J. Brown is a great player," Roseman said of the team captain on a videoconference with reporters. "He wears a 'C' for a reason. He's an important part of this team, of this organization. He cares about winning, he cares about his teammates and I think when you're a team like ours that is looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship, you just don't get rid of guys like that."
Brown, 28, is averaging a career-low 56.4 yards per game this season and has expressed frustration over the state of the Eagles' offense on multiple occasions.
He posted a photo to Instagram following a breakout two-touchdown performance against the Minnesota Vikings in mid-October with a caption reading, "Using me but not using me," prompting speculation about whether it was directed at the team. Coach Nick Sirianni said, however, that it was "business as usual" inside the Eagles' building.
Brown eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his three seasons in Philadelphia and has been a part of two teams that reached the Super Bowl, including last year's squad that won it all.
"I feel very lucky to have him on our team and excited about the second half of the season with him," Roseman said.
The Eagles made a flurry of moves prior to the deadline in an attempt to increase their chances of a repeat. They acquired:
Edge Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins for a 2026 third-round pick
CB Jaire Alexander and a seventh-round pick in 2027 from the Baltimore Ravens for a 2026 sixth-round pick
DB Michael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the New York Jets for WR John Metchie III and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
The Eagles' edge rush group lacked production over the first half of the season but should look much different now with Nolan Smith (triceps) nearing a return, Brandon Graham unretiring and the trade for Phillips.
"He can rush, he can set the edge, he can play in space. He's got a nonstop motor," said Roseman of Phillips.
"Obviously it's got to come together on the field, but I feel like we've got a really good front and obviously adding Jaelan to that puts a lot of pieces in place to give us the opportunity to be dominant up front."
Phillips played for Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio when Fangio held the same post in Miami in 2023 and was in the midst of a career year before tearing his Achilles.
Roseman said the familiarity with all three players -- senior personnel director Joe Douglas was the Jets' general manager when New York drafted Carter II, and passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker was with Alexander in Green Bay in 2019-20 when Parker served as a defensive quality control coach - allowed for greater comfort making these in-season moves.
While Phillips' role seems easy to project - he should be near the top of the edge rush rotation immediately - it's yet to be seen how Carter II and Alexander fit into a group that is led by Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell but has struggled to solidify the third piece to the CB puzzle.
"I think the first half of the season showed us how important cornerback depth is," said Roseman, who saw corners Mitchell, Jakorian Bennett, Adoree' Jackson and Kelee Ringo all deal with various injuries. Roseman added that Carter II can also play safety - another position that could use some bolstering.
Roseman said "We're not done here" in respect to the roster back in August and made true on that statement. He also acquired running back Tank Bigsby, Bennett, QB Sam Howell, OT Fred Johnson and Metchie in recent weeks.
"If there's an incremental difference in a player, we owe it to our team, to our fans, to our building, to our owner to do that," he said.
