Darius Phillips
Darius Phillips (born June 26, 1995) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Western Michigan and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
![]() Phillips with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 | |||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
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Born: | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | June 26, 1995||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Robichaud (Dearborn Heights, Michigan) | ||||||||||||
College: | Western Michigan | ||||||||||||
Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2018 / Round: 5 / Pick: 170 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2022 | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
College career
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 tfl, 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 MAC 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
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | ||||||||
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5 ft 9+7⁄8 in (1.77 m) |
193 lb (88 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.54 s | ||||||||
All values from NFL Combine |
Cincinnati Bengals
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.[2][3]
In Week 3 of the 2019 season, Phillips recorded his first career interception off Josh Allen in the 21-17 loss.[4] He was placed on injured reserve on September 26, 2019 with a knee injury.[5] He was designated for return from injured reserve on November 21, 2019, and began practicing with the team again.[6] He was activated on November 29, 2019 prior to Week 13.[7] Phillips intercepted a pass thrown by Ryan Fitzpatrick in a Week 16 overtime loss against the Miami Dolphins.[8] He recorded two interceptions during a win against the Cleveland Browns the following week.[9]
Phillips recorded his first interception of the 2020 season during a loss to the Browns in Week 7.[10] He was placed on injured reserve on November 14, 2020;[11] and was activated on December 9, 2020.[12]
On December 14, 2021, Phillips was placed on injured reserve.[13]
Las Vegas Raiders
Phillips signed a one-year contract with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 17, 2022.[14] He was released on August 30, 2022.[15]
Denver Broncos
On September 1, 2022, Phillips was signed by the Denver Broncos.[16] He was placed on injured reserve on December 20.[17]
Houston Texans
On May 4, 2023, Phillips signed with the Houston Texans.[18] He was released on August 25, 2023.[19]
Detroit Lions
On September 20, 2023, Phillips was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad. He was released on October 10.[20]
References
- "Darius Phillips College Stats".
- Paul, Tony. "Change at Syracuse led Darius Phillips to Western Michigan". TheDetroitNews. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- "Bengals select Western Michigan DB Darius Phillips in Round 5". CincyJungle.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- "Bills stay unbeaten by rallying back to beat Bengals 21-17". www.espn.com. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
- "Bengals Sign McTyer, Place Phillips On Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. September 26, 2019.
- "Darius Phillips Cleared To Practice". Bengals.com. November 21, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
- "Bengals Activate Phillips To Roster, Place Redmond On Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. November 29, 2019.
- "Dolphins survive late collapse and beat Bengals in OT, 38-35". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- "Fond farewell: Andy Dalton leads Bengals over Browns 33-23". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
- "Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals – October 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- "Hubbard, Phillips, Ross Among Bengals Player Moves Ahead Of Week 10 At Pittsburgh". Bengals.com. November 14, 2020.
- "Darius Phillips Activated From Reserve/Injured; Jonah Williams Placed on Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. December 9, 2020.
- "Darius Phillips To Reserve/Injured list; Drue Chrisman Signed To Practice Squad". Bengals.com. December 14, 2021.
- Raiders Public Relations (March 17, 2022). "Raiders sign CB Darius Phillips". Raiders.com. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- "Raiders finalize initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season". Raiders.com. August 30, 2022.
- DiLalla, Aric (September 1, 2022). "Broncos sign CB Darius Phillips". DenverBroncos.com.
- DiLalla, Aric (December 20, 2022). "Broncos promote QB Jarrett Guarantano to active roster, place CB Darius Phillips on injured reserve". DenverBroncos.com.
- "Houston Texans Transactions (5-4-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. May 4, 2023.
- "Houston Texans Transactions (8-25-2023)". HoustonTexans.com. August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- "Detroit Lions sign veteran CB, TE to practice squad". Pride of Detroit. SB Nation. October 10, 2023.