Darius

Phillips

Phillips played just six defensive snaps last season and the 27-year-old will likely help solidify Houston’s special teams coverage in training camp while pushing for a roster spot.

This will end his season. Signed away from the Raiders at last cuts, Phillips played just six defensive snaps for the Broncos in a loaded cornerback room. He was only active for nine games. He’ll be a depth option at corner again in 2023 as an unrestricted free agent.

Turner has struggled with the knee injury dating back to camp and still isn’t ready to set foot on the field against the 49ers. Cameron Fleming will protect the blindside for Russell Wilson against San Francisco’s pass rush. Also inactive for the Broncos are: WR Jalen Virgil, WR Tyrie Cleveland (hamstring), CB Darius Phillips (hamstring), S Delarrin Turner-Yell, OLB Jonathon Cooper (hamstring), and DL Eyioma Uwazurike

A reserve corner and return man on special teams, Phillips signed a one-year deal with the Raiders in March but couldn’t crack the 53-man roster. Getting signed at this stage of “cuts week” should give Phillips some runway to keep his Broncos spot.

A fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2018, Phillips served as a spot starter int he Cincinnati secondary and a key special teams player. Phillips, 27, will likely be a depth addition to the Raiders secondary.

Phillips missed the last five weeks on IR. He started 5-of-8 games and played 75% of snaps before going down in Week 8. Phillips should be return to the lineup Sunday against Dallas.

Atkins is out for personal reasons, and it comes at a bad time against a divisional rival. The Bengals will also be missing contributing CBs Darius Phillips and LeShaun Sims, further opening things up on paper for the Pittsburgh passing offense.

A fifth-rounder out of Western Michigan in 2018, Phillips amazingly picked off four passes on just 109 snaps last year. That’s essentially a little less than two games worth of action. He picked off 12 career passes in college, returning five for touchdowns. Phillips has a clear nose for the ball. A knee injury was his issue last year. Dre Kirkpatrick is set for free agency among Bengals’ corners.

The Bengals’ 2018 fifth-round pick played 23 defensive snaps in Weeks 1-3 while also giving some juice as a kick returner. He’ll provide some secondary depth for the Bengals’ stretch run. They placed G Alex Redmond (elbow) on the injured reserve in a corresponding roster move.

Phillips has mostly been a special teams player this season, but he also played 21 snaps on defense last week with starting slot CB B.W. Webb (arm) sidelined. His extended absence is bad news for the secondary, particularly ahead of Monday night’s matchup against JuJu Smith-Schuster and the Steelers.