McDermott confident Jordan Phillips can step up in DaQuan Jones’ absence

ORCHARD PARK, NY (WHEC) – It wasn’t a guarantee that Jordan Phillips would return to the Bills this season. A free agent coming off of offseason surgery and turning 31 years old in the fall, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see the Bills move on. At the same time, it wasn’t surprising to see them re-sign him.

“He just wants to be here and help this team win football games no matter how he gets it done,” QB Josh Allen said last season. “Just a just a guy’s guy.”

It’s no secret the Bills’ depth is being put to the test. In Week 4, they lost CB Tre White to a torn Achilles. A week later in London, LB Matt Milano and DT Daquan Jones both went down for the foreseeable future.

The hope is that Phillips can step up as his snap counts seemingly increase.

“I thought last week was his best game of the season so far, and we need that because of DaQuan not being out there,” Head Coach Sean McDermott said of Phillips on Thursday. “It’s important that he continues to climb because we need him to.”

Phillips is in his 9th NFL season and worked to recovery from shoulder surgery in the offseason. The last two weeks, he has played at least 30 defensive snaps apiece for the first time this year.

“He’s a dominant player when he’s healthy,” Defensive Line coach Eric Washington said of Phillips back in the preseason. “We know what he brings to the table when he’s healthy as a run defender.”

Now, Phillips has a chance to put that on display.