Vikings Castaway is Languishing in Football Catastrophe
Can’t help but feel bad for Vikings castaway Harrison Phillips.
The rugged defensive tackle got brought to Minnesota in 2022. Across three seasons, Mr. Phillips fully lived up to his on-field and off-the-field reputation. Not much of a threat as a pass rusher, Horrible Harry was nevertheless a rock-solid defensive tackle who clogged up running lanes. Even more important is the way that Phillips impacted the Twin Cities. Very few do more for the community than the large lad who bullies offensive linemen on Sundays. Why move on?
Vikings Castaway Stuck with the Jets
Currently, the Jets are an absolute disaster.
Former Lions DC Aaron Glenn is struggling to turn the team around, which shouldn’t hit as much of a surprise. New York has been bad for a while. Yes, there’s some strong talent on that team — DT Quinnen Williams, CB Sauce Gardner, RB Breece Hall, WR Garrett Wilson, and so on — but that’s a roster that has a long way to go. Even the world’s best coach would struggle to get the Jets moving in a positive direction.
But while Glenn does need some grace in that he’s been tasked with resurrecting the Jets, there’s still reason for criticism and concern.
The AFC’s New York team is the only NFL squad without a victory. Horrible teams like the Saints, Titans (who have already fired their coach), Dolphins, and Browns have at least a single win. Not so with the Jets, a team that’s in the basement at 0-6.
Take even a quick look under the hood and one can’t be overly surprised.
The offense sits at 25th in the NFL by averaging 20.5 points per game. The defense sits at 28th in the NFL by allowing an average of 28.3 points against per game. Clearly, allowing an average of roughly 8 points more than one scores is a recipe for disaster. The per-game point deficit is above a touchdown and extra point, so there’s a lot of work to be done.
Within all of that is Harrison Phillips, someone who got shipped away by the Vikings.
The decision to move on from Phillips does have some rationale. Clearing out the veteran made way for the veteran additions — Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave — while also opening more playing time for some of the young defensive tackles — Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins.
Plus, the Vikings recouped resources. A pair of 6th-Round selections got sent in Minnesota’s direction to pry away the defender for the middle of the defense (note: the Vikings sent a 7th with Phillips to New York).
Maybe even more valuable for the Vikings was the cap savings. A dollar saved in 2025 is a dollar that can be rolled over into 2026 (when the cap situation is very poor). So, getting ahead of the sticks — in a financial sense — does have its appeal.
One still does wonder about the decision to ship out Harrison Phillips.
Admittedly, there would have been a logjam at DT since the Vikings would be dealing with four DTs who would be deserving of a starting spot: Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave, Jalen Redmond, and Harrison Phillips. Might there have been a move to lean on Phillips on early downs, thereby keeping one of Allen or Hargrave fresher for passing situations?
Currently, Allen is sitting at 97th in the PFF rankings for run defense among defensive tackles. His 47.1 grade is paltry stuff. Phillips, meanwhile, is slotting in at 35th with a grade that’s a much healthier 64.5. Any sense that these two could have been complementary players?
By no means has the Vikings’ defense been playing poorly. Quite the opposite is true. Brian Flores has weathered the injury storm while pushing his side of the ball up to 5th in the NFL by allowing just 19.4 points against per game. Something that’s clear, though, is that the run defense isn’t pristine, as the 4.5 yards-per-carry average against demonstrates. Inserting a single player into the mix wouldn’t solve every issue, but shutting down the run is why Phillips is employed.
The NFL trade deadline arrives in early November. Just from a football perspective, seeing Harrison Phillips sent elsewhere — a place where he has a chance to win — would be good news. He is 29.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
