He played college football at Oklahoma and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft.
[11] During his rookie year in 2015, Phillips played 15 games making 19 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 passes defended.
[16] In week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Phillips sacked Marcus Mariota three times in the 14–7 win.
[17] Phillips emerged as a premier pass rusher for the Bills, racking up 9.5 sacks in the 2019 season.
[20] In Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, Phillips recovered a fumble lost by running back Ezekiel Elliott and forced a fumble on Elliott on the Cowboys' next drive of the game during the 38–10 win.
[23] He aggravated the hamstring injury in Week 14 and was placed on injured reserve on December 19, ending his season.
[28] Following the year, Phillips revealed he had played the last few weeks of the season with a torn rotator cuff, and would undergo offseason surgery.
[32] He finished the season with 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a career-high five passes defensed through 14 games and nine starts.