Scottie Phillips busted into the Green Bay Packers’ end zone, shoving his body through tacklers with outstanding second effort.
It was the kind of hard-nosed power run the Texans grew accustomed to seeing from the running back this preseason.
Phillips earned a roster spot as one of the Texans’ five running backs, joining veterans Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay, David Johnson and Rex Burkhead
A former undrafted free agent from Mississippi, Phillips led the Texans with 25 carries for 155 yards and a 6.2 average per carry in three preseason games. As a rookie, Phillips made the practice squad and played in eight games with two carries for nine yards.
Phillips is a strong back built low to the ground at 5-foot-8, 209 pounds who scored 14 touchdowns as a junior and gained 927 rushing yards, rushing for 542 yards and five scores before joining the Texans.
“Man, Scottie is a baller,” Ingram said of Phillips, who has run the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds. “I told him to keep doing his thing, keep running the rock, keep running out of the backfield and catching the rock, picking up pass protection.
“He’s a back that can do a lot of things, so I’ve told him to keep working on his craft and I think he’s going to be a good player, a good running back in this league for a long time. I think he can have a long career with his skillset and his mindset, so I am a Scottie Phillips fan.”
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.
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