Harrison Phillips tabbed as Jets' most underappreciated hero

New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey loves to trade, and that's no secret. Over his first two years on the job, he's made 13 deals involving players, and nearly every single one has paid off so far.

Towards the end of last summer, Mougey made two trades for interior defensive linemen, swinging deals for former Cleveland Brown Jowon Briggs and Minnesota Viking Harrison Phillips.

Both trades worked out fairly well for the Jets. Both players turned out to be indispensable on the field in 2025, especially after Quinnen Williams was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys.

But Phillips turned out to be an even more integral piece off the field, and may just be the Jets' most underappreciated player.

Harrison Phillips named Jets' most underappreciated player

NFL.com's Gennaro Filice listed every AFC team's most underappreciated player, and for the Jets, he named Phillips.

"I still don’t understand why the Vikings traded this guy to the Jets last August. Phillips anchored Minnesota’s defensive front during Brian Flores’ first two years with the franchise, and the Vikes ranked eighth and second in run defense. This past season, after parting ways with Phillips, they plummeted to 21st. In related news, Minnesota just spent two of its first three picks on defensive tackles."

Gennaro Filice

The Jets' run defense wasn't great in 2025; they ranked 25th-last in EPA/rush according to Sumer Sports. But that certainly wasn't the fault of Phillips.

Individually, he recorded a 76.2 Pro Football Focus run defense grade, the sixth-best of any interior defensive lineman in the league last season.

"NGS (Next Gen Stats) charted him with 51 run stops -- tops among all NFL defensive linemen. That underscores the fact that this 307-pounder is much more than a simple space-eater. Over the past five seasons, he has averaged 64 tackles -- a massive figure for an interior defensive lineman."

Gennaro Filice

Despite the Jets' other defensive linemen additions this offseason, such as T'Vondre Sweat and David Onyemata, Phillips still figures to play a key role on the field and off.

Down the stretch of 2025, Phillips wasn't only one of the Jets' best defenders, but one of their most vocal leaders as well.

There's a good chance the former Buffalo Bills draft pick ends up as a defensive captain in 2026, and he certainly deserves it.

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