Jordan Phillips will be back in Western New York for the 2019 season.
The 26-year-old defensive tackle signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, the team announced on Tuesday. Phillips initially came to the team via a midseason waiver claim last year.
IT’S OFFICIAL: We’ve re-signed DT Jordan Phillips to a one-year deal.
Details: https://t.co/cuXxSMIElK pic.twitter.com/0Plzb2OLOh
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) March 5, 2019
Buffalo Bills Re-Sign Defensive Tackle Jordan Phillips
The day that players cleaned out their lockers at season’s end, Phillips expressed high praise for the Buffalo community. It makes his new deal with the team all the more special.
“Buffalo’s great,” Phillips told the official team website. “Our defense speaks for itself. We’re a great defense. We finished number two in the rankings. That speaks for itself. Why wouldn’t you want to be here? We’re young, we have a lot of talent. We’ve got a lot of guys that love to play ball. Buffalo is the place to be.”
Phillips played in 12 games during the 2018 season, primarily as a rotational player. But he made his presence felt when he did come onto the field, registering three pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery. He endeared himself to Bills fans with the high energy and overall intensity he exhibited.
There’s certainly room for his role to expand in 2019. With long-time Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams now retired, Phillips has a chance to gain starter level reps after not starting a single game last year. The player he’ll likely be competing against in training camp in the hope of a bigger role is soon-to-be second-year player Harrison Phillips.
Prior to 2018, Phillips spent the first three seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins who took him in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. He made 26 starts during his tenure in South Florida, registering 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 10 pass breakups. Prior to his pro career, Phillips played three seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners.
