Jets add Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs after trades with Browns and Vikings

Antwan Staley, New York Daily News on Aug 20, 2025

Published in Football

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NEW YORK — There has been competition in training camp for the Jets‘ defensive tackle spot opposite Quinnen Williams.

Although coaches have said they’ve been impressed with the competition, the Jets made trades with the Browns and Vikings to add more help on Wednesday.

The Jets acquired nose tackle Harrison Phillips in a trade with the Vikings for a 2026 sixth-round pick and a swap of draft picks in 2027, according to sources. The trade for Phillips is expected to be finalized, likely after the Jets’ final preseason game against the Eagles on Friday night.

As part of the trade, the Vikings will agree to pay half of Phillips’ $7.4 million salary this season ($3.7 million). So not only will the Jets get a quality inside presence on the defensive line, but they will also save money in the process.

Hours before the news of the Phillips trade, Gang Green announced that it had acquired defensive tackle Jowon Briggs and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 draft from Cleveland in exchange for the team’s sixth-round pick in the same draft.

This will mark the return to the AFC East for Phillips. He was drafted by the Bills in the third round of the 2017 draft and played four seasons with the team.

Phillips, 29, originally signed a three-year, $19.5 million free-agent contract with the Vikings in March 2022. He has started every game for Minnesota since then, setting career highs in tackles in both 2022 (59) and 2023 (92) and registering 5.5 sacks over that period.

That led to Phillips signing a two-year contract extension before last season. He recorded 56 tackles and two sacks in 17 games for the Vikings in 2024.

Phillips is under contract for the 2026 season. However, all of his $6.89 million is non-guaranteed, meaning the Jets could release him and save $7.5 million next offseason.

The Browns initially selected Briggs in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft out of Cincinnati. He appeared in six games last year in a backup role for Cleveland. Briggs registered 13 tackles and one tackle for loss in limited action.

The 6-1, 313-pound Briggs registered 170 tackles and 12 sacks during his five college seasons between his two seasons at Virginia and his three at Cincinnati. Briggs is a short and stocky interior defender who has short arms but can be a contributor to the Jets’ rushing defense. He possesses sufficient quickness to bring down ball carriers and should provide adequate play in rotational situations.

The Jets are thin at the defensive tackle position. So the trade to add Briggs makes a lot of sense. They have been looking for a long-term solution besides Williams, but no one has stood out so far. In addition to Williams, the Jets’ defensive tackle room consists of Payton Page, Jay Tufele, Leonard Taylor III and Derrick Nnadi.

Byron Cowart, another player on the defensive line, had the best training camp out of the players who are vying for the starting defensive tackle spot. But he is dealing with an ankle injury and has missed the last few weeks of training camp practices after suffering the injury on Aug. 5.

The trade for Briggs could indicate Cowart’s injury is more serious than the Jets initially thought.

“I think it is going great,” Jets defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said about the defensive tackle competition opposite Williams. “Jay Tufele has stepped up. He had a great game two weeks ago against Green Bay. You look at Leonard Taylor, he is doing some great things [Phidarian Mathis] Phil, I love what he’s doing.

“And I’m looking to get BC back into the fold, Byron Cowart. I thought those guys are doing a great job. We are looking for that balance opposite Q [Williams]. Some man that’s going to be able to demand double teams as well, so we can take some pressure off of him.”

Run defense has also been an issue for the Jets in recent seasons. They allowed 121.1 rushing yards per game last season, which was the 17th best in the league.

The Jets are banking on the 6-3, 307-pound Phillips and Briggs helping out in that area.