3 Former Patriots Still Unemployed as OTAs Arrive

3. Adrian Phillips, Safety

Slowly but surely, the New England Patriots have been phasing former All-Pro safety Adrian Phillips out of their rotation defensively.

Phillips has spent the past four years as a member of the Patriots and mostly played a big role...until last season.

Adrian Phillips Snap Counts in New England

• 2020: 746 snaps
• 2021: 882 snaps
• 2022: 704 snaps
• 2023: 138 snaps

Phillips played just 138 defensive snaps last season despite appearing in all 17 games for the Patriots. He played over 300 special teams snaps, which is something he's done a lot in his NFL career, but his days as a starting safety could be behind him at this point.

Phillips made his hay initially as an NFL player on special teams, and the Patriots gave him the most substantial defensive role of his NFL career. Go figure, he's a versatile defensive chess piece who can be moved all around the formation and find ways to be effective.

His best NFL season as a defender came arguably in 2021 when he had 92 total tackles and a career-high four interceptions. He just turned 32 this offseason and could possibly still find work primarily as a special teams ace somewhere in the league.

More New England Patriots news and analysis: