Del'Shawn Phillips (born October 9, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...

College career

Phillips had committed to play

at Western Michigan, but was ruled academically ineligible. He spent a year away from football and took online courses at

Mott Community College Mott Community College (officially Charles Stewart Mott Community College or abbreviated MCC) is a public community college in Flint, Michigan. It is named for politician, businessman, and philanthropist Charles Stewart Mott. Its district is ...

before enrolling at

Garden City Community College Garden City Community College (Garden City CC or GCCC) is a public community college in Garden City, Kansas. It was established in 1919 to provide a means for post-secondary education for area residents. The school initially shared facilities i ...

Garden City, Kansas Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 28,151. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richa ...

. As a freshman, he recorded 72

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 12.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks. Phillips finished his sophomore season with 95 tackles as the Broncbusters won the 2016

NJCAA National Football Championship National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national football champions: Champions Single division era (1956–2021) Split division era (2021–present) For the 2021 season, the NJCAA announced the creation of Division I and Div ...

. He initially committed to transfer to Arizona for the final two seasons of his eligibility, but changed his commitment to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Phillips was named a starter at

going into his first season at Illinois and finished the season as the Fighting Illini's leading tackler with 85. He was voted a

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

as a senior and again led the team with 95 tackles and also

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

with four and was named honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Phillips was signed by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2019. He was waived during final roster cuts on August 31.

Buffalo Bills

Phillips was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

to their

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

on October 30, 2019. He spent the remainder of the season on the practice squad and signed a futures contract with the team on January 6, 2020. Phillips made his NFL debut in the Bills' season opener against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

on September 13 and suffered a quadriceps injury. He was placed on injured reserve on October 12, activated on November 7, and placed back on injured reserve on November 13. On January 19, 2021, Phillips was waived by the Bills. He played in only two games with the Bills, all 14 of his snaps coming on special teams.

New York Jets

On March 23, 2021, Phillips signed with the Jets. He was waived on August 31 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 21. Phillips was waived by the Jets on August 30, 2022.

Baltimore Ravens

On August 31, 2022, Phillips was claimed off waivers by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. On March 19, 2023, Phillips re–signed with the Ravens.

Houston Texans

On March 15, 2024, Phillips signed a one-year contract with the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

Los Angeles Chargers

On March 14, 2025, Phillips signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers bioIllinois Fighting Illini bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Del'Shawn 1996 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen Garden City Broncbusters football players Cass Technical High School alumni Players of American football from Detroit American football linebackers Illinois Fighting Illini football players Buffalo Bills players New York Jets players Baltimore Ravens players Houston Texans players Los Angeles Chargers players 21st-century American sportsmen