Scottie Phillips may have been first when it came to rushing yards for the Houston Texans in the preseason, but he wasn’t first when it came to the news that he made the team.
The former undrafted free agent from Ole Miss says that his fiancée, Brittani Powe, was the first to know that he made the Texans’ 53-man roster.
“Actually, my fiancé found out before me,” Phillips said. “I don’t know she found out, but she is the one who told me.”
After one of the longest 25-hour stretches of Phillips’ life, the wait was over. However, he didn’t celebrate much, despite all of the congratulatory texts from his agent, family, friends, and former coaches.
“I plan on doing it this weekend with my family,” said Phillips. “Go back home and celebrate a little bit.”
The 5-8, 209-pound running back says he is “grateful” to be on the Texans’ roster, and seeks to be one of the hardest workers on the team.
Said Phillips: “I feel like I am a back that can do a lot of good things. I can catch the ball, I can run it well and like you said I’m very confident in my abilities and for me it was just trusting the process and trusting the coaches and taking advantage of every opportunity I got.”
The Texans also have Pro Bowlers David Johnson, Mark Ingram, and Phillip Lindsay on the roster. Houston is also counting on former New England Patriots running back Rex Burkhead to carry the load.
Phillips appeared in eight games last season, rushing twice for nine yards and catching a 7-yard pass. The 23-year-old also proved his versatility on special teams with five kickoffs returned for 96 yards, the longest return going for 26. Phillips played 109 special teams snaps last season compared to nine on offense.