Jordan Phillips Bio
Jordan Phillips is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft. He has played for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and three separate stints with the Buffalo Bills.
Listed at 6 feet 6 inches and 341 pounds, Phillips is a tall, heavy interior defender whose size has long been central to how teams deploy him. Across his professional career, he has built a reputation as a pass-rushing defensive tackle, producing sacks in bunches during healthy seasons and contributing as a run defender and occasional ball-hawk.
Early Life and Background
Jordan Phillips was born on September 21, 1992, in Wichita, Kansas. He grew up in the Towanda area and attended Circle High School, where he played high school football for the Circle Thunderbirds. Coming out of high school, he drew major recruiting attention, earning a five-star rating from Scout.com and a four-star rating from Rivals.com.
His combination of size, athleticism, and quickness for an interior lineman made him one of the most sought-after defensive line prospects in the country. Phillips ultimately committed to the University of Oklahoma, choosing the Sooners over several other scholarship offers to develop his game at a program with a long track record of producing NFL defensive linemen.
Path to American Football
Phillips arrived at Oklahoma in 2011 and was redshirted as a true freshman, preserving a year of eligibility while he adjusted to the college game. As a redshirt freshman in 2012, he appeared in 12 games and posted 12 tackles, giving the Sooners a glimpse of his raw ability.
His sophomore season in 2013 was cut short after just four games because of a back injury. He had recorded seven tackles and 1.5 sacks before the injury, and the missed time slowed his development. Phillips returned healthy in 2014, finishing the year with 31 tackles and two sacks while earning Second-team All-Big 12 honors. After his junior season, he entered the 2015 NFL draft, where his size and upside made him an early second-round selection.
Jordan Phillips Career
Early Career (2015–2017)
The Miami Dolphins selected Phillips in the second round with the 52nd overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft. As a rookie, he played 15 games and produced 19 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 passes defended, flashing the penetration skills that had made him a top prospect. Over the next two seasons in Miami, he continued to develop as a rotational defensive tackle, working to stay healthy and refine his technique.
Entering the 2018 season, Phillips was listed as a starting defensive tackle for the Dolphins. However, his playing time dipped as the season wore on, and frustration boiled over during a Week 4 blowout loss to the New England Patriots. On October 2, 2018, Miami waived him, ending his first NFL chapter.
Buffalo Bills Breakthrough (2018–2019)
One day after being waived by Miami, Phillips was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills on October 3, 2018. He re-signed with Buffalo on March 4, 2019, and the move proved transformative. In a Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans, he sacked Marcus Mariota three times, signaling the arrival of a real pass-rushing threat on the interior.
Phillips emerged as a premier pass rusher for the Bills, racking up 9.5 sacks in the 2019 season. His production from the defensive tackle spot gave Buffalo a disruptive force alongside its edge rushers and helped establish him as one of the league’s more dangerous interior pass rushers during that stretch.
Arizona Cardinals Era (2020–2021)
On April 6, 2020, Phillips signed a three-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals, joining a defense looking to bolster its pass rush. In Week 2 against the Washington Football Team, he recorded his first sack as a Cardinal, a strip sack on Dwayne Haskins that was recovered by teammate Chandler Jones during a 30–15 win.
Against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Week 6, Phillips recovered a fumble by Ezekiel Elliott and forced a fumble on Elliott on the Cowboys’ next drive, capping a dominant 38–10 win. A hamstring injury sent him to injured reserve in November 2020, and although he returned briefly, he re-aggravated the hamstring in Week 14 and finished the year on injured reserve. He started the 2021 season on injured reserve, was activated in mid-October, and was released by Arizona on March 16, 2022.
Buffalo Bills Return (2022–2023)
Phillips signed a one-year deal with the Bills on March 17, 2022, beginning his second stint in Buffalo. He later revealed he had played the final weeks of that season with a torn rotator cuff and underwent offseason surgery. He re-signed with the Bills on April 6, 2023, was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list in late July, and was activated on August 6.
In 2023, Phillips finished with 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a career-high five passes defensed across 14 games and nine starts, re-establishing himself as a reliable rotational piece on a contending Bills defense.
New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys (2024)
On April 11, 2024, Phillips signed with the New York Giants. His time there was brief, as the Giants traded him and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys on August 14, 2024, in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Phillips was released by Dallas on November 5, 2024.
Buffalo Bills Third Stint (2024–Present)
On November 6, 2024, Phillips was signed by the Buffalo Bills, returning for a third tour. He made seven appearances for Buffalo down the stretch, recording one interception, one pass deflection, and five combined tackles. On August 25, 2025, he re-signed with the Bills but was released the following day as part of final roster cuts before being signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted back to the active roster on October 28.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Phillips’ signature moments are his three-sack game against Marcus Mariota and the Titans in 2019, his multi-play impact against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football in 2020, and his first career interception during his 2024 return to Buffalo. His 9.5-sack season in 2019 stands as the high-water mark of his pass-rushing production, and he reached 25 career sacks across his time in the league.
Jordan Phillips Career Stats
Across his NFL career through the 2025 season, Jordan Phillips has compiled 196 total tackles, 25 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 26 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions, underscoring his role as a pass-rushing defensive tackle who can also disrupt the passing game in coverage lanes.
Buffalo Bills Highlights
Phillips’ most productive stretch came in his first extended run with the Bills, including a 9.5-sack campaign in 2019 and a three-sack game against Tennessee. Across his three separate stints in Buffalo, he has served as a disruptive interior presence, including a five-pass-defensed effort in 2023 and a late-season interception during the 2024 stretch run.
Jordan Phillips Family
Personal Life
Jordan Phillips is a United States national who was raised in the Towanda, Kansas, area. Public details about his immediate family remain limited, and he has kept his personal life largely private outside of football.
2025 Season Performance
Jordan Phillips re-signed with the Buffalo Bills in late August 2025 before being released as part of final roster cuts and quickly added back to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on October 28, 2025, rejoining a Bills defensive line in need of interior depth.
His 2025 role has primarily been rotational, with the Bills leaning on his size and experience to bolster the defensive tackle group. Given his track record of late-season impact in Buffalo, his return to the active roster positions him as a potential pass-rushing factor down the stretch of the 2025 campaign.