Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips quickly grew into a fan favorite since being claimed off of waivers in 2018 by the Bills.
First, he didn’t like his former team, the Dolphins, all the much. Then he started singing the praises of Bills Mafia and the Buffalo fan base.
Following that in 2019, his play started to garner him all the love. ESPN reflected that recently in an article which tabbed one player from each team that “leveled up” in 2019. Phillips was the pick.
Here’s why:
The free agent’s stats speak for themselves — his 9.5 sacks in 2019 not only represent a five-year high but also make up 63% off his career total. While Buffalo decides whether to let the 6-foot-6, 340-pound Phillips walk this offseason, it’s clear he showcased solid production in a contract year with a first-round rookie in Ed Oliver competing at his position.
As mentioned, Phillips is a free agent. So what are the Bills going to do with him? That depends much more on other teams around the NFL.
In Phillips’ case, he’ll be the first to point out that he played many less snaps than players around the NFL this season and still had the most sacks of any defensive tackle in the AFC. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott’s rotation along the D-line cuts into Phillips’ snaps.
But because of that, will the Bills play him big time like they did Star Loutlelei despite that rotation? And with first-round pick Ed Oliver in the mix, too? It’s hard to imagine the Bills doing so, so there’s likely a cap on it for the team.
So what is that cap in comparison to what other teams think about it? It certainly appears Phillips will test the market before coming back to the Bills and seeing what they’re willing to offer… and you can’t blame him for that.
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