Phillip Bernard Daniels (born March 4, 1973) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
and coach who most recently served as defensive line coach for the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He was drafted by the
Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the
1996 NFL Draft. He played
college football at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
.
Daniels has also played for the
Chicago Bears and
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
.
Early years
Daniels attended Seminole County High School (Donalsonville, GA) and lettered in
football, basketball, and baseball.
College career
Daniels attended and played
college football at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
. While there he played three different positions. As a sophomore, he played defensive tackle, linebacker as a junior, and finally defensive end as a senior and served as team captain.
Professional career
Seattle Seahawks
Daniels was drafted by the
Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the
1996 NFL Draft. He played for the team from 1996 to 1999.
Chicago Bears
Daniels signed with the
Chicago Bears before the 2000 season and played for them until 2003.
Washington Redskins
Daniels signed with the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
as an
unrestricted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...
in 2004. On December 18, 2005, he had career high four sacks and also recovered a fumble in a 35–7 win over the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
and was named the NFC defensive player of the week.
Daniels was released by the Redskins on July 28, 2011. Head coach
Mike Shanahan
Michael Edward Shanahan (born August 24, 1952) is a former American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he le ...
said that he saw Daniels as a coach or in a front office somewhere because of the way he prepare and handles himself and Daniels was hired the following year as the Washington Redskins Director of Player Development.
Post-playing career
On February 17, 2012, Daniels was hired as the director of player development of the Washington Redskins.
Daniels coached the defensive line in the 1st Annual NFLPA All-Star game. He was hired by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
as Assistant Defensive Line Coach on January 20, 2016. Daniels won his first
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...
when the Eagles defeated the
New England Patriots in
Super Bowl LII
Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...
.
On February 8, 2019, Daniels was promoted internally to become the Eagles' defensive line coach, replacing
Chris Wilson, whose contract had expired. On January 17, 2020, it was reported that Daniels would not return to the Eagles' coaching staff in 2020 which was surprise move after having the best unit on the team finishing 3rd vs the run and 11 in sacks with a slew of injuries at the DT position.
Personal life
Daniels and his wife, Leslie, have four children; two sons, DaVaris and DaKendrick, and two daughters, Damara and DaKiya. His son,
DaVaris, played
college football as a
wide receiver for the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
. Furthermore, he is the uncle of
T. J. Jones, a former wide receiver at the University of Notre Dame, who was drafted in the sixth round of the
2014 NFL Draft by the
Detroit Lions. Phillip Daniels is a member of
Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, having joined while at the University of Georgia.
[ List of Phi Beta Sigma brothers#American football]
References
External links
Washington Redskins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Phillip
1973 births
Living people
African-American players of American football
American football defensive ends
Georgia Bulldogs football players
Seattle Seahawks players
Chicago Bears players
Washington Redskins players
People from Donalsonville, Georgia
Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state)
Philadelphia Eagles coaches
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
Houston Gamblers (2022) coaches
Brian Piccolo Award winners