76-year-old Wade Phillips hasn't coached in the NFL for several years, last appearing on the sidelines as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. However, the son of legendary coach Bum Phillips has managed to stick around the game by signing on with the XFL last spring in what's now the third iteration of the league.
Now the head coach and general manager of the XFL's Houston Roughnecks, Phillips has accepted that his NFL tenure has likely ended. However, that doesn't mean he isn't keeping up with the NFL, particularly the Denver Broncos.
Phillips considers his time with the Broncos to be his longest stint with a team, as he was a defensive coordinator and head coach in Denver for eight seasons. With that in mind, his combination of experiences makes his latest comments particularly interesting.
With the Broncos rookie minicamp set for this weekend, Roughnecks pass-rusher Trent Harris is one of a multitude of XFL players heading to Denver for a veteran tryout.
Notably, the Roughnecks led the XFL in total defense and were ranked second in scoring defense. Harris was instrumental in their success, leading a league with 9.5 sacks.
“The Broncos ought to sign him,’ Phillips told The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson. “He’s a really good player.”
A team that's currently lacking in the pass rush department, Harris could truly make the final cuts for the 53-man roster. 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds, the 27-year-old recorded 15.0 career sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss in 44 career games with the Miami Hurricanes.
Harris played in 19 regular-season games with Miami and the New York Giants from 2019 to 2021, recording 2.0 sacks and 1.0 tackle for loss in 367 career defensive snaps.
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