Harrison

Phillips

Phillips appears to have decent odds of suiting up against the Lions, returning to practice Thursday in a limited capacity. Phillips’ presence will be needed against the Lions’ explosive offense.

Phillips was a surprise addition to the injury report, though seven-year veterans regularly miss Wednesday sessions before returning later in the week. Phillips, who just signed a two-year extension with Minnesota, has two sacks, two TFLs, and a forced fumble. Losing him for Week 7 would be a notable blow to a Vikings defense that has been utterly dominant this year.

Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the deal is worth “up to” $19 million with over $13 million guaranteed. Phillips was set to hit free agency next offseason but is now under contract for two more years. He started all 34 regular season games for the Vikings over the past two seasons and tallied 4.5 sacks plus five TFLs during that stretch. He came away from Week 1 with a sack and a TFL, setting him up for a potential career year.

The former No. 96 overall pick of the 2018 draft, Phillips missed all but three games in 2019 with a torn ACL but appeared in 26 games for Buffalo over the last two seasons. He received really strong run marks from Pro Football Focus in the middle of the Bills’ tough run defense last year. Phillips will likely slide into free agent DT Sheldon Richardson’s spot up front in Minnesota, but NT Michael Pierce’s roster spot is also in question.

Phillips is five months removed from tearing his ACL. He’ll likely sit out all of OTAs but has a chance to get in some training camp reps. Phillips played just under 40 percent of snaps before going down last year and should return in a sub-package role.

Phillips suffered a torn ACL during the Bills’ Week 3 win over the Bengals. He offered rotational depth in the middle of the defensive line and played between 32-43% snaps in Weeks 1-3.

Phillips (6’3/307) started each of his final two years for the Cardinal, earning first-team All-Pac 12 and third-team All-American honors in 2017, leading Stanford in tackles (103) – rare for an interior defensive lineman – and logging 46 run stops (PFF), most among draft-eligible DTs. Although Phillips lacks up-field burst and explosive quickness, he checks boxes as a disciplined, “good football player” with a high floor and underrated all-around athleticism, logging 62nd-percentile SPARQ results and a whopping 42 bench-press reps in Indy. Phillips projects as a pro-ready run plugger whose pass-rush game is still developing.

Phillips was only a two-year starter at Stanford, but had a breakout senior season — leading Stanford in tackles and earning All-Pac 12 honors. An underrated athlete (62nd-percentile SPARQ), Phillips has the run-stopping traits to make a rookie year impact. He should rotate behind Kyle Williams and Star Lotulelei.