He was on injured reserve after a disastrous first few games for the Cowboys. Per Phillips’ Instagram, he appears to be headed back to the Bills.

When Phillips was asked about his injury he said, “I don’t know. That’s above my pay grade. You have to ask the people making the decisions.” It certainly seems like this was a calculated decision by the Cowboys to keep Phillips on the team while getting another DT on the field on Sundays. We’ll have to see what kind of role Phillips returns to in four weeks. Carlos Watkins was signed to the active roster to take Phillips’ place.

The rare trade between rivals occurred, with the Cowboys adding DT Jordan Phillips from the Giants. It’s a low risk deal for the Cowboys, who add depth to their defensive line. For the Giants, Phillips was on the roster bubble anyways, so they take a late round pick swap and move into the sixth round. The 31-year-old tallied 2.5 sacks last season for the Bills while playing in 14 games and starting nine. Jerry Jones said the team was looking for more nose tackles, and now they add Phillips for depth up the middle.

Phillips has appeared in 26 games for the Bills over the last two seasons while starting 10. The veteran defensive tackle is now heading into his 10th season and coming off a year in which he totaled 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two TFLs. Phillips rebuilt his career with the Bills in 2019 when he surprised with a 9.5 sack season, but hasn’t had more than three sacks in any year since. He’ll provide valuable depth the the Giants’ interior but shouldn’t be viewed as an impact player at this point in his career.