The Giants are casting Jordan Phillips in the role previously held by Ashawn Robinson.
General manager Joe Schon and head coach Brian Daboll dug into the Bills’ roots Thursday by signing Phillips to add depth to the defensive line.
Phillips, 31, has started 62 of 120 games over a nine-year career, including parts of four seasons with Buffalo.
Dennis Hickey, the Giants’ assistant director of player personnel, was the Dolphins’ general manager in 2015 when he selected Phillips in the second round of the 2015 draft.
The inside defensive line was arguably the Giants’ biggest strength entering last season. Since then, the Giants traded Leonard Williams and lost Robinson, who had been quietly having a good season on a one-year demonstration contract, to the Panthers in free agency to a blockbuster deal.
The addition of the 6-foot-6, 341-pound Phillips takes at least some pressure off youngsters DJ Davidson and Jordon Riley, who are growing at lightning speed around All-Pro Dexter Lawrence and veteran Rakeem Nunez-Roches. It should be reduced.
However, it would take a significant rebound for Phillips to adequately fill Robinson’s spot on his own. Robinson was ranked No. 129 (out of 130) among defensive tackles by Pro Football Focus last season, but after a strong 2021 season, he dropped for the second year in a row, and Robinson was ranked No. 75.
Phillips admitted he considered retirement during the Bills’ playoff run, but ultimately signed a free agent contract about a month later.
This deal does not prevent the Giants from seeking defensive line depth in the mid-to-late stages of the upcoming draft.
After recording a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2019, Phillips spent two years with the Cardinals.
He returned to the Bills in 2022 and played over 750 defensive snaps over the past two seasons.
