Chargers Roster Spotlights: Del'Shawn Phillips, Special Teams Ace and Defensive Thumper

Del'Shawn Phillips, born on October 9, 1996, in Highland Park, Michigan, played his high school ball at Cass Technical in Detroit.

During his time at Cass Technical, Phillips earned a two-star recruiting status according to 247Sports. This allowed him to commit to Western Michigan, though he was deemed academically ineligible and had to take a year off from college football.

In his return, he played at Garden City Community College, where he stayed for two years, playing at a high level in both seasons, finally moving to Illinois, where he played his final two seasons.

He led the team tackles in both seasons with the Fighting Illini, being named a team captain in his Senior season. He was also named All-Big Ten Conference. Even with all of these accolades, Phillips unfortunately went undrafted, earning his first chance with the Atlanta Falcons.

With the Falcons, Phillips did not make the final roster, moving on to the Buffalo Bills, where he spent time on the practice squad, two active roster games, and then injured reserve after suffering a quadriceps injury.

His next stop was in New York with the Jets, where he spent the 2021 season, playing in all 17 games, earning playing time both on special teams and defense. He parlayed this playing time into a contract with the Baltimore Ravens, where he spent two seasons earning a reputation as one of the better special teams players in the league.

Finally, before his stop with the Los Angeles Chargers, he spent his 2024 in Houston with the Texans, where he continued his now long-standing strong play on special teams, while flashing on defense.

Chargers Del'Shawn Phillips, LB Illinois

In 2025, Phillips signed a small contract with the Bolts, missing a large portion of the off-season due to injury. This prevented him from initially making the final 53-man roster. He quickly found his back on the roster, playing in all 17 games with the team.

Phillips quickly impressed, showing major flashes on defense and being one of the league's best special teams players in 2025.

2025 Season Stats

17 Games
1 Start
1 Fumble Recovery
1 Sack
37 Tackles (Career High)
1 Tackles for Loss
Second Team All-Pro Selection

Measurables

Del'Shawn Phillips does not have a Mockdraftable page; his RAS card is below.

Delshawn Phillips went undrafted in the 2019 draft class.

Delshawn Phillips posted a Good #RAS with V.Poor size, Good speed, Great explosiveness, Poor agility at the LB position.#Falcons pic.twitter.com/PeKRB5zxH8
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 30, 2019

Contract Status

"Del'Shawn Phillips signed a 2 year, $7,500,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including $2,500,000 signing bonus, $4,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,750,000. In 2026, Phillips will earn a base salary of $1,500,000 and a signing bonus of $2,500,000, while carrying a cap hit of $2,750,000 and a dead cap value of $4,000,000." - Spotrac

Del'Shawn Phillips' 2026 Season Outlook

The special teams ace earned a two-year deal worth $7.5 million, giving him a real raise in 2026 for his play in 2025. This will give him roster security along with the expectation for the former UDFA to continue being the defensive run-stopper and special teams ace that he was in 2025.

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