Very little went right for the New York Jets’ defense in 2025.
The Jets forced four turnovers and gave up 56 offensive touchdowns in one of the worst defensive seasons in franchise history. With numbers like those, there won’t be many individual success stories worth talking about.
Harrison Phillips was one of the exceptions.
Acquired in August for a sixth-round pick and a late-round pick swap, Phillips ended up being one of the few reliable players on the Jets’ defense. He was the only player to start all 17 games, while he finished the season ranked fifth on New York’s defense in total snaps (692) and total tackles (60).
The veteran made his presence felt in the run game. Phillips earned a 76.4 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking sixth among defensive tackles (min. 300 snaps)—two spots behind future teammate T’Vondre Sweat and two spots ahead of future teammate David Onyemata.
The concern with Phillips, though, is his dwindling pass-rush juice as he enters his age-30 season. In 2025, Phillips finished the season with just a half-sack, one quarterback hit, and 11 total pressures on 343 pass-rush snaps, making him one of the league’s least efficient interior pass rushers.
Offering high-level run defense but low-level pass rushing, what type of role should Phillips play for the Jets’ revamped defensive line in 2026? Is his pass rushing as ineffective as the numbers say, or could he bounce back under a new play-caller with new teammates beside him? Is his run defense valuable enough to overcome his pass rushing if he does not improve in that area?
In the latest episode of Blewett’s Blitz, we answer all of those questions and more in a full film review of Harrison Phillips’ 2025 season, seen below.
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