Harrison Phillips
The Buffalo Bills were able to bring back last year’s starter at defensive tackle, Star Lotulelei, after the two sides agreed to a restructured contract this offseason. However, this doesn’t guarantee that he will remain the starter next to Ed Oliver on this defensive line.
The Bills did sign Vernon Butler, who could compete for the job, but Harrison Phillips is a little bit forgotten when talking about the position. The former third round pick was having an excellent start to the year last year and was seeing his snaps increase from 32% in Week 1, to 41% in Week 2 but he then suffered an ACL injury in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals that cost him the remainder of the year.
The biggest question for Phillips is where he is in terms of his recovery. ACL injuries are tricky and can take up to a year, or sometimes longer, to fully recover. In February, it appeared that Harrison Phillips rehab was on track and he was doing well. However, due to the pandemic he hasn’t been able to work much with team trainers so it will be worth noting if that extends the rehab time.
If Harrison Phillips is back to full strength, he should have a good shot of being the starter at defensive tackle Week 1 for the Buffalo Bills.