4 NY Jets free agents the team could still re-sign this offseason

3. Kyle Phillips, DE, NY Jets

A former undrafted free agent, Kyle Phillips earned his way onto the Jets roster as a rookie in 2019 following a strong showing in training camp. He went on to play 15 games while recording 1.5 sacks as a regular in the defensive line rotation.

It seemed like Phillips was well on his way to becoming a fixture in the Jets' defensive line rotation, however, that rookie season has proved to be the peak of his career to this point.

Injuries have derailed Phillips' career as the former Tennessee standout has played just 14 games over the last two seasons. An ankle injury landed him on IR in October of 2020, and he didn't make his in-game return from that injury until November of the following year.

Phillips felt like an afterthought last year, although he did manage a sack of Taysom Hill in the Jets' Week 13 game against the New Orleans Saints, marking his first sack since 2019.

That said, it wasn't a surprise when the Jets declined to tender Phillips' contract as a restricted free agent. The Jets could still look to bring him back for cheap, though.

The addition of Solomon Thomas has possibly stolen the role Phillips would have played as a tweener pseudo-backup to John Franklin-Myers, but the Jets do love their defensive line depth.

Bringing back Phillips for a minimum one-year contract is far from the worst move the Jets could make, even if it's only to compete for a roster spot this summer.