MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The shock of losing pass rusher Jaelan Phillips for the year — again — has given way to acceptance.
Thursday at Miami Dolphins HQ was about what’s next. Beyond formally putting Phillips on injured reserve (and signing OLB Tyus Bowser off the Seahawks coaching staff), their defensive coaches began crafting a plan to replace the team’s most effective pass rusher.
And no, the answer is not to simply accelerate the rehab processes for Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode, who are both still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list after suffering their own season-ending injuries in late 2023.
What’s Next for Miami Dolphins After Jaelan Phillips Injury?
In fact, Phillips going down again a month into his return from last year’s Achilles tear might be a cautionary tale to take things as slowly and carefully as possible with Chubb and Goode.
“I would say with Bradley and Cam, the way that they attack their rehab and their training is incredible,” Dolphins outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow said Thursday. “They work their tails off, and it’s a process, and it still is a process.
“Just because we lost a player — and it’s sad to see [Phillips] go down — we’re not going to rush that process or do anything different from what they’ve been doing and what we see him fit, what the training staff and the head coach, and the GM see fit for them to come back.
“So when they’re ready to come back and they hit the field, we’ll be [ready], but until then, we’re gonna let them continue to do what they do to get back.”
Ryan Crow on the Jaelan Phillips injury pic.twitter.com/RzfcKQ1gAe
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 3, 2024
Until they do, the Dolphins at EDGE will be relying on a player they actually cut earlier this year (Emmanuel Ogbah), two rookies that have a combined zero career sacks (Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara), and a journeyman who has shown little since a strong start to training camp (Quinton Bell).
Here’s Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s vision for making it work:
“Shoot, this is a National Football League. I don’t think I’m gonna be getting any sympathy cards from anybody on the Patriots. So it’s our job collectively as a group of coaches and players to step up our game to fill that void with him not out there. And I think we got the guys that can go out there and do that.
“They all their special skills and attributes, right. Each are kind of unique. I think Quinton is very versatile in the fact that he can drop into coverage, you can rush him from multiple spots. He is a firm edge setter. I think he’s still trying to refine and figure out who he is as a pass rusher, but he does a lot of things.
“The two rookies, they’re still trying to feel their way and trying to understand the league a little bit. Chop has obviously had more at-bats at that and you see his confidence growing with what we’re asking him to do weekly. Are there their ups and downs? Is it like the stock market a little bit? Sure. It’s like that with every rookie.
“… When you lose a Jaelan Phillips, where [Robinson] needs to be most impactful, which is the primary reason for drafting him, is to affect the passer, right? And sometimes you don’t necessarily see that in sack production, but he needs to be there and that guy needs to feel him.
“And then Mohamed, I see Mohamed, you want him to be an enforcer, right? He’s a guy that’s rugged, tough. You talk about it. He should be a firm edge setter, be able to use him as a three-technique and rush end if need be. But he needs to be like your top-flight security in the world. You know what I mean? He needs to be the protector and be the enforcer on the field. I’ve kind of tasked him with that since he’s been here.”