5 worst free-agent signings in Arizona Cardinals history

Jordan Phillips – DT (2020)

Another recent signing, Jordan Phillips, has become synonymous with fool’s gold. The defensive tackle turned heads in 2019 when he recorded 9.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and a career-high 31 tackles. Phillips augmented his stats with 13 tackles for loss, showing his notoriety as a pass rusher and run stuffer.

The Cardinals wasted no time signing him to plug up the middle. However, Phillips has since reverted back into the player he was before his big 2019 season. Between 2015 and 2018, Phillips recorded just six career sacks and he never had more than six quarterback hits or five tackles for loss in a season.

Worse yet, he has appeared in just 18 games, starting 17 of them. And while Phillips’ numbers improved slightly from 2020 to 2021, they’re not enough to warrant the three-year, $30 million contract the Cardinals signed him for.