Cowboys trade: Dallas adds DT Jordan Phillips from Giants
Just one day after Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer told the media that the team “has to find some more noses (nose tackles)”, the Cowboys acquired veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants. This trade came through on Wednesday evening, with Phillips being traded away from the Giants before ever appearing in a game. He signed with the team in April after being with the Buffalo Bills the past two seasons.
The #Giants are sending a 7th-round pick to the #Cowboys in exchange for a 6th-round pick in this Jordan Phillips deal. It’s a late-round swap, and we’ll likely see more of these among teams in the coming days and weeks as the backend of rosters get built. https://t.co/GaIoR1mfY9
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 15, 2024
Phillips is a 2015 second-round pick of the Miami Dolphins after playing his college career at Oklahoma. Listed at 6’6”, 330 pounds on the Giants roster, the veteran with 62 career starts is a versatile player with pass rush upside. Zimmer now has a player in Phillips who had a career high 9.5 sacks in 2019 but is also tough to move against the run to rotate in with Mazi Smith and Justin Rogers.
The Cowboys are finally trying to show a sense of urgency building a better run defense, and getting a player from within the division this late in the roster building process is well done by the front office. Phillips has never started a full 16 or 17 games in a season, but the Cowboys rotation on the defensive interior got better with this trade.