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New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: DL Jordan Phillips

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New York Giants 2024 Training Camp Preview: DL Jordan Phillips

The New York Giants defensive line was considered a strength heading into last season. Still, with the team having traded away Leonard Williams at last year’s trade deadline and then losing his replacement, A’Shawn Robinson, in free agency to the Carolina Panthers, there are naturally some questions as to who will line up alongside Dexter Lawrence on the defensive front.

Enter Jordan Phillips, a ten-year veteran interior lineman who’s spent time with the Dolphins, Bills, and Cardinals. He was with head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen in Buffalo from 2018 to 2019. Phillips will get a chance to compete for the 3-technique spot next to Lawrence.

Height: 6-6
Weight: 330 lbs.
EXP: 10
School: Oklahoma
How acquired: FA-24

The 2023 season was Phillips’ second stint with the Bills. He appeared in 14 games with nine starts last year, totaling 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss. Phillips appeared in 392 (44 percent ) of defensive snaps last season, helping anchor the middle of a strong Bills defensive line.

Surrounded by talents such as Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau, and Leonard Floyd, Phillips’ pass rush was overlooked by those three. He’d been a solid pass rusher over the course of his career, posting 24 sacks and 51 quarterback hits in 120 career games. Last season, he recorded five hits and seven pressures.

Phillips’ cap hit for this year is $1,781,177. His base salary is $1,210,000 with a signing bonus of $430,000. Phillips’ contract also includes a $50,000 per game bonus and a $100,000 workout bonus. If he were cut, the Giants would save $1,351,177 and have $430,000 in dead money.

Phillips enters a mostly inexperienced defensive line group outside Lawrence and Rakeem Nuñez-Roches. And there’s a lot to like about his game. 

For one, Phillips plays with that junkyard dog mentality. He eats up space, imposes his will, and can be a dominating force in the trenches–that is if he stays healthy, which has been his biggest problem throughout his career. 

Thanks to his versatility, Phillips can give a team snaps at the 0-, 1-, 3-, and 5-technique spots. But again, he needs to stay healthy–he spent this spring limited as he continued his recovery from his wrist surgery in December 2023.  

Phillips’ role should be the same as it was with the Bills. He can start if need be, and if he does, he can provide valuable snaps on the interior. He can stop the run and rush the passer, not at the same rate Lawrence can, but it’s serviceable.  

If the Giants want to start the season with a veteran-led group, Phillips needs to be a part of that group.  

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