Jordan Phillips is nearing a return to the Buffalo Bills.
The veteran defensive tackle became a free agent Wednesday when he was released by the Arizona Cardinals in a move that saved the team $4.1 million in space under the salary cap. All 32 NFL teams were required to be compliant with the salary cap as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the official start of the 2022 league year.
Phillips, 29, left the Bills for Arizona in March 2020, signing a three-year contract worth up to $30 million that came after he posted a career-best 9.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss in the 2019 season. He didn't find as much success in the desert, posting just 33 tackles and five sacks in 18 games over two seasons. Arizona was left with a $9.2 million "dead money" charge for Phillips on this year's cap.
Phillips, 29, dealt with injuries during his two years in Arizona. He missed seven of the final eight games of the 2020 season because of a hamstring injury, and then missed the first four games of the 2021 season because of an undisclosed injury. He also missed the final three games of the regular season and Arizona's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round because of a knee injury.
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In the aftermath of his release, he posted on Instagram, "Don't worry mafia I'm coming home." Phillips later thanked Cardinals fans in a post on Instagram, but the image showed him in a Bills uniform. He ended the post with "the heart wants what the heart wants #letsgobuffalo."
As of Wednesday night, no deal was official. Phillips, though, has remained close with several of his former Bills teammates. In January, he attended the Bills-Chiefs playoff game, wearing a Star Lotulelei jersey. Phillips was acquired by the Bills off waivers from the Miami Dolphins four games into the 2018 season. It proved to be a quality move by Buffalo's pro scouting staff, as he finished that year with 19 tackles, one fumble recovery and three passes defensed before having a breakout 2019 season that led to his big contract with Arizona.
If the deal to return to the Bills gets done, Phillips figures to provide depth behind Ed Oliver as the Bills' three-technique defensive tackle. In that role, he'll be counted on to provide a strong interior pass rush. Phillips would be the third new defensive tackle to join the roster in free agency, a quick turnaround at the position. The Bills lost Harrison Phillips to the Vikings and Vernon Butler Jr. is currently an unrestricted free agent, but the team announced a one-year deal with DaQuan Jones on Wednesday and is expected to officially announce a deal with Tim Settle soon. Those two figure to make up the rotation at one-technique defensive tackle, possibly in some combination with Lotulelei, who is still also on the roster.
