Cowboys Acquire 62-Game Starter in ‘Rare Divisional’ Trade With Giants

Cowboys Acquire 62-Game Starter in ‘Rare Divisional’ Trade With Giants

By adding a seasoned defensive tackle, the Dallas Cowboys are strengthening their defensive line. The Cowboys are acquiring defensive tackle Jordan Phillips from the New York Giants through a trade, as reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The Giants send a seventh-round pick to Dallas in exchange for the Cowboys sending a sixth-round pick. On Wednesday, August 14, Schultz wrote, “BREAKING: The Giants are trading DT Jordan Phillips to the Cowboys, per multiple sources.”

The Athletic’s Dan Duggan points out that the selection swap is during the 2026 NFL draft. Duggan comments, “Know it’s not much (reportedly a sixth for a seventh in 2026) but getting anything is a win because Phillips wasn’t making the roster.”

The Giants and Cowboys are involved in a “rare divisional” deal, as noted by Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. In the NFL, trades between divisional opponents are rare. Nonetheless, the trade certainly made sense for both teams given that their paths are different—Dallas is viewed as a playoff contender, while New York is mostly focused on rebuilding.

Jordan Phillips Was Buried on Giants Depth Chart
Phillips brings a wealth of experience to Dallas, having started 62 of his 120 career games. The 31-year-old Phillips — he’ll turn 32 in September — was buried on the Giants’ depth chart after signing with the team in the offseason.

As Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post points out, Phillips was on the third-string defense during training camp.

“After signing a one-year, $1.79 million contract in April, Phillips did not attend most of the voluntary offseason workouts,’ writes Dunleavy. “He has been stuck as a third-teamer throughout training camp and faced an uphill battle to survive the coming cut from 90 to 53 players.”

Jordan Phillips Brings Experience Behind Second-Year Mazi Smith

Todd Archer of ESPN points out that Dallas was searching for defensive tackle depth. On Wednesday, August 14, Archer writes, “The move was not made because of any unhappiness with Mazi Smith’s development.” Earlier in the offseason, there were concerns about finding depth. had a conversation with Linval Joseph, a seasoned FA. had unfulfilled trade talks with a different team in addition to the Giants. The former Oklahoma Sooners player was first selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Phillips started 11 games in his second and third seasons with the Dolphins, after his four starts in his rookie campaign.

After entering the 2018 season as a starter, he was waived in the middle of the season. He was eventually claimed by the Buffalo Bills, spending the 2018 and 2019 seasons in Buffalo. It was during his 2019 season with the Bills that Phillips posted a career year, racking up 9.5 sacks, 31 tackles 16 quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss.

Phillips’ career year resulted in a three-year, $30 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals during the 2020 offseason. However, after two injury-plagued seasons — he appeared in just 18 total games with five sacks — Phillips was released by the Cardinals. The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle signed with the Bills for a second stint, starting nine games during the 2023 season in Buffalo.

Although Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa are considered the starters at defensive tackle, Phillips should immediately step in as a primary backup.

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