The Patriots signed safety Adrian Phillips to a two-year contract worth $3.5 million. He spent the last six seasons with the Los Angeles (formerly San Diego) Chargers.

Phillips signed with the Chargers originally as an undrafted free agent in 2014 following his college career with the Texas Longhorns, and his journey hasn’t been easy. In his first two seasons, Phillips was either released or waived eight times.

At, 28 years old, Phillips should be in the middle of his athletic prime and will get to experience those years with the Patriots. Bill Belichick, Steve Belichick, and Jerod Mayo should be getting a player who can contribute immediately.

Before he steps onto the field with New England, here’s what fans should know about their newest defensive back.

Phillips was placed on IR in 2019.

With Derwin James on injured reserve with a stress fracture in his foot, Phillips was set to be the starting strong safety opposite Rayshawn Jenkins. However, in the second week of the season, Phillips broke his arm and landed on the IR himself.

This cost the safety nine weeks of the regular season, and even after he returned in Week 12, he never truly saw full-time reps until the final game of the year. The good news is that the injury should not hamper his play later in career, and he should be all set by the time this season rolls around.