DT Jordan Phillips sets clear goal as he begins third stint with Bills

Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is set to begin his third stint with the Buffalo Bills, hoping that this one will not end with a departure.

Kyle Silagyi | Nov 7, 2024

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Pundits often liken NFL franchises to revolving doors, as players join and depart organizations with incessant regularity. The metaphor takes on a bit of a different tone with regard to the Buffalo Bills and veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, as the 32-year-old departs and re-signs with the team with such frequency that they likely shouldn’t even bother cleaning out his locker.

The 10th-year defender again signed with the Bills on Wednesday, commencing his third stint with the club. Buffalo initially claimed him off waivers from the Miami Dolphins early in the 2018 season, sparking a one-and-a-half-year stint in which Phillips would tally 50 tackles and 9.5 sacks. He would parlay his strong play in Orchard Park into a three-year, $30 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, but he was released after an underwhelming two-year stretch.

Eager to again prove himself in a familiar setting, Phillips re-upped with the Bills in the 2022 offseason, remaining in Buffalo through the 2023 campaign. He spent part of the 2024 offseason with the New York Giants before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys in August, spending much of the season on injured reserve before being released after the trade deadline.

Phillips hinted on social media that he was set to again re-sign with the Bills before his Dallas release was even formalized, with the team announcing his return on Wednesday. The veteran hopes that this is the end of his constant coming and going, telling reporters after his return that he’d like to stick around One Bills Drive for the long haul.

“I just want to give them enough to stick,” Phillips said. “Finish my career here. That’s it, so whatever I’ve got to do to do that. Be here for the tenure, that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

It’s a lofty, but perhaps unsurprising goal for Phillips, who has found his most consistent professional success in Buffalo. He’s so ingrained in the culture and general organization that he keeps up with the team when elsewhere, telling reporters on Wednesday that he’s watched every Bills game this year. He’s comfortable with the scheme and culture, and the club demonstrably likes what he offers, with Phillips perfectly describing their union with a humorous quote:

“I’m an acquired taste, and they like my taste.”

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Phillips has totaled 85 tackles and 13.5 sacks throughout parts of four seasons in Buffalo, appearing in 54 games while starting 19 of them. His role this time around doesn’t figure to be too significant, as he’ll likely be a rotational defender who provides a much-needed boost to the team’s interior pass rush (the Bills’ defensive tackles have combined for just three sacks thus far this season). Regardless of his role, the defender feels as though he’s ready to contribute, telling reporters on Wednesday that he’s at full health and that he shouldn’t have necessarily spent the bulk of the 2024 campaign on IR.

“I’m 100%,” Phillips said. “I’m ready to go. I’ve been, pretty much just been working out for the last, whatever, the last seven weeks, that’s all I’ve been doing is just working out.”

His return to Orchard Park was a bit of a homecoming, an opportunity for Phillips to reconnect with past coaches and teammates. He doesn’t overlook how special it is to always have a home in Buffalo, and he’s eager to repay the organization’s confidence on the field.

“It’s always good,” Phillips said. “Like I said, seeing the smiles and being actually wanted, it’s a hell of a drug, you know what I mean? You can do a lot for people when it’s in the right environment.”

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