Jets new addition sets the tone with blunt message before Bills revenge game

The New York Jets got a major boost to their defensive line when they acquired run-stuffing defensive tackle Harrison Phillips on August 20.

Giving up just a 2026 sixth-round pick while also swapping a sixth for a seventh in 2027, the Jets also got the Minnesota Vikings to pay half of Phillip's $7.4 million salary, making the move a master stroke for Darren Mougey.

With just eight sacks over his eight-year career, Phillips isn't flashy. His job is to do the dirty work — take up space, clog rushing lanes, and push the pocket back, allowing others to clean up — and in Week 1, you could say he did it pretty well.

Well, that is, unless you're Harrison Phillips. Following his green and white debut, Phillips insisted that he hoped it was his worst game of the year, saying the following to reporters.

"As I watched the film, I was getting really frustrated with myself, seeing some of those old habits creeping in. You can still play good football that way, but that's not what this defense calls for. My hope is that this was the worst version of myself for this team, and as each week goes by, I'm able to get better and better."

Harrison Phillips

Harrison Phillips is another example of accountability under new Jets HC Aaron Glenn

Unpacking Phillips' quote, he isn't saying that he played ineffective football, but rather that the scheme requires something different from him, and he wasn't happy with his execution. That's very telling.

For a team that has struggled to implement a culture of accountability for the last decade and a half, having a player realize that although his skills were on display, he didn't do as good a job handling the exact requirements that the scheme demands is a breath of fresh air.

That's exactly what Aaron Glenn has been preaching since being installed at the helm — each man on the roster is accountable to himself and all of those around him. Glenn isn't just talking the talk; he's walking the walk by doing things like handing Xavier Gipson his walking papers after his two costly fumbles last Sunday.

Muffed punts and fumbles plagued the former UDFA throughout his career, with five in his rookie season and four last year. The previous regime kept running him out to return punts and finding ways to work him into the offense despite those issues.

Now, while it was a headscratcher that Gipson made the roster over Jamaal Prichett, Glenn clearly wasn't going to let the mistake compound and quickly cut ties.

Going back to Phillips, a big part of his job is taking up blockers to allow Quinnen Williams and the rest of the defensive line to do their thing. With Williams having the second-highest PFF grade for an interior defensive lineman at 92.0, it seems like, despite his feelings, he did a pretty good job.

Aside from assisting Williams, Phillips was also responsible for assisting on both of Will McDonald's sacks, first getting his hands up in the passing lane to force Aaron Rodgers to pull the ball down and drift into McDonald's waiting arms, and second by taking up two blockers, leaving Broderick Jones with no help as McDonald sliced inside for his second sack.

Phillips will be a player to watch as the Jets welcome the Buffalo Bills to MetLife on Sunday. Originally a third-round pick of the Bills, Phillips spent the first four years of his career with the Jets' upstate nemesis.

From the sounds of it, he's not happy with how he's played so far and might have a little extra motivation to take out his frustrations on his former team.

You likely won't see him making the flashy plays, but when they occur, there's a pretty good chance he was the one who set everything in motion.

More NY Jets news and analysis: