Darius Phillips (born June 26, 1995) is an American football cornerback for the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Western Michigan and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.

Darius Phillips
refer to caption
Phillips with the Bengals in 2021
No. 2 – San Antonio Brahmas
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1995-06-26) June 26, 1995 (age 29)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Robichaud (Dearborn Heights, Michigan)
College:Western Michigan
NFL draft:2018 / round: 5 / pick: 170
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:75
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:23
Interceptions:6
Return yards:751
Stats at Pro Football Reference

College career

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Phillips played four seasons at Western Michigan. Starting out as a wide receiver, Phillips caught 32 passes for 479 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman, while also rushing 3 times for 37 yards. He was converted to defensive back as a sophomore. In three years on defense, he recorded 127 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 12 interceptions, which returned for 376 yards and 5 touchdowns. But his primary role was as a kick returner. He led the Mid-American Conference in kickoff return yards in 2014 and 2016, finishing with 130 kickoff returns for a school record 3,193 yards, which ranked 5th all time in NCAA history. He returned five kickoffs for touchdowns, while also returning 32 punts for 327 yards and another score.[1]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Bench press
5 ft 9+78 in
(1.77 m)
193 lb
(88 kg)
31+12 in
(0.80 m)
9+18 in
(0.23 m)
4.40 s 1.57 s 2.51 s 4.18 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)
9 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[2][3]

Cincinnati Bengals

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Phillips played college football at Western Michigan before being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round (170th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[4][5]

In Week 3 of the 2019 season, Phillips recorded his first career interception off Josh Allen in the 21–17 loss.[6] He was placed on injured reserve on September 26, 2019 with a knee injury.[7] He was designated for return from injured reserve on November 21, 2019, and began practicing with the team again.[8] He was activated on November 29, 2019 prior to Week 13.[9] Phillips intercepted a pass thrown by Ryan Fitzpatrick in a Week 16 overtime loss against the Miami Dolphins.[10] He recorded two interceptions during a win against the Cleveland Browns the following week.[11]

Phillips recorded his first interception of the 2020 season during a loss to the Browns in Week 7.[12] He was placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2020;[13] and was activated on December 9, 2020.[14]

On December 14, 2021, Phillips was placed on injured reserve.[15]

Las Vegas Raiders

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Phillips signed a one-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 17, 2022.[16] He was released on August 30, 2022.[17]

Denver Broncos

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On September 1, 2022, Phillips was signed by the Denver Broncos.[18] He was placed on injured reserve on December 20.[19]

Houston Texans

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On May 4, 2023, Phillips signed with the Houston Texans.[20] He was released on August 25, 2023.[21]

Detroit Lions

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On September 20, 2023, Phillips was signed to the practice squad of the Detroit Lions. He was released on October 10.[22]

Tennessee Titans

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On December 26, 2023, Phillips was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad.[23] He was not signed to a reserve/future contract and thus became a free agent when his contract expired at the end of the season.[24]

San Antonio Brahmas

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On January 19, 2024, Phillips signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL).[25] He re-signed with the team on August 29, 2024.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Darius Phillips College Stats".
  2. ^ "Darius Phillips Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Scout Darius Phillips College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Paul, Tony. "Change at Syracuse led Darius Phillips to Western Michigan". TheDetroitNews. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "Bengals select Western Michigan DB Darius Phillips in Round 5". CincyJungle.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  6. ^ "Bills stay unbeaten by rallying back to beat Bengals 21-17". ESPN. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  7. ^ "Bengals Sign McTyer, Place Phillips On Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. September 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "Darius Phillips Cleared To Practice". Bengals.com. November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  9. ^ "Bengals Activate Phillips To Roster, Place Redmond On Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. November 29, 2019. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  10. ^ "Dolphins survive late collapse and beat Bengals in OT, 38-35". ESPN. Associated Press. December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  11. ^ "Fond farewell: Andy Dalton leads Bengals over Browns 33-23". ESPN. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  12. ^ "Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – October 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  13. ^ "Hubbard, Phillips, Ross Among Bengals Player Moves Ahead Of Week 10 At Pittsburgh". Bengals.com. November 14, 2020. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  14. ^ "Darius Phillips Activated From Reserve/Injured; Jonah Williams Placed on Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. December 9, 2020.
  15. ^ "Darius Phillips To Reserve/Injured list; Drue Chrisman Signed To Practice Squad". Bengals.com. December 14, 2021.
  16. ^ Raiders Public Relations (March 17, 2022). "Raiders sign CB Darius Phillips". Raiders.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "Raiders finalize initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season". Raiders.com. August 30, 2022.
  18. ^ DiLalla, Aric (September 1, 2022). "Broncos sign CB Darius Phillips". DenverBroncos.com.
  19. ^ DiLalla, Aric (December 20, 2022). "Broncos promote QB Jarrett Guarantano to active roster, place CB Darius Phillips on injured reserve". DenverBroncos.com.
  20. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (5-4-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. May 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (8-25-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  22. ^ "Detroit Lions sign veteran CB, TE to practice squad". Pride of Detroit. SB Nation. October 10, 2023.
  23. ^ "Titans Sign Five Players to the Team's Practice Squad". tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  24. ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 8, 2024). "Titans Sign Six Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". TennesseeTitans.com.
  25. ^ "The UFL Agree to Terms with 42 Players". UFLBoard.com. January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  26. ^ @UFL_PR (August 29, 2024). "The #UFL has announced the following transactions" (Tweet). Retrieved August 29, 2024 – via Twitter.
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