The New York Jets are currently 1-1 through two games of the preseason as they seek to make it to the postseason for the first time since 2010. New York is hoping that quarterback Justin Fields and cornerback Sauce Gardner can lead the team to the playoffs, but the Jets are also looking to give both of their stars as much help as they can under the circumstances.

Per multiple reports, the Jets traded for Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips along with a 2027 seventh-round pick on Wednesday. In exchange for Phillips and the 2027 seventh-rounder, New York gave up sixth-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to Minnesota. Earlier on Wednesday, the Jets traded for Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Jowon Briggs as New York attempts to fortify their defensive interior.

Advertisement

Phillips, 29, is coming off a 2024 season with the Vikings in which he put up 56 tackles (16 solo), two tackles for losses, five quarterback hits, and 2.0 sacks. Phillips has been in the NFL for the past seven seasons after being selected with a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft following a collegiate career at Stanford that saw him excel, including being named First-team All-Pac-12 in 2017.

According to the Jets’ depth chart, the starting defensive tackles are Quinnen Williams and Byron Cowart, with significant depth listed behind both of those players. ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted as part of his report that “as part of the Jets-Minnesota trade, the Vikings agreed to pay $3.7 million of Harrison Phillips’ $7.4 million salary this season.”

Time will tell if Phillips is able to surpass Cowart to be the starting defensive tackle opposite of Williams as the Jets ranked 20th in points given up per game while giving up the third-least amount of yards overall. The best season of Phillips’ career was in 2023 when he amassed 92 tackles (44 solo) and 3.0 sacks for a Minnesota team that has been making regular playoff appearances. New York picked up another interior player who can possibly contribute.

This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Report: Jets trade for Vikings DT Harrison Phillips, 2027 7th-rounder