MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jaelan Phillips didn’t just pass his first exam of 2024, he aced it.
The Miami Dolphins pass rusher had a strong first week of practice since tearing his Achilles last November.
“He’s looked great,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said Tuesday. “He looks like the Jaelan Phillips we all expect to see.”
Miami Dolphins EDGE Jaelan Phillips Injury Update
Said Phillips during the preseason game broadcast Friday: “It was great, it was really amazing. Just getting back on the field felt amazing obviously, and really more importantly just being back with my brothers on this defense. We have such a good group, really a lot of talented guys, a lot of new guys.
“So for me, it’s been important to really build that bond with them and it’s kind of hard when you’re not on that field to truly build that bond. Once you get on that field, sweat with them, bleed with them, that’s when you really start to build that closeness.”
Now comes the bigger test: Getting up to speed in time to help the Dolphins when the regular season begins in 19 days.
The Dolphins expect Phillips to contribute early in the season. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have removed Phillips from the physically unable to perform list as early as they did.
But what version of Phillips will they get? Do they think he can be the guy who logged 50+ snaps a game before his injury in 2023? Or will they ease him back with a part-time role early on?
“I think we’re gonna have to listen to his body, right?” Weaver said. “Ultimately, I don’t think you wanna put a number count on that kid. But we know we have to be smart, so that he can maintain and last throughout the entire season.
“But I’m certainly not counting that kid out of anything, right? You saw how fast he’s gotten back from the Achilles and he looks like a manchild out there when he has gone.”
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With Emmanuel Ogbah, Chop Robinson, and Mohamed Kamara, the Dolphins look to have enough to get by for a month or so if Phillips needs a part-time role and Bradley Chubb needs more time to get back from ACL surgery.
Chubb got hurt on New Year’s Eve; the recovery timeline for reconstructive knee surgery is nine to 12 months.
With a week until cutdown day, it seems more likely than not that Chubb will remain on the PUP list for the first month of the season. But the Dolphins remain encouraged by his progress.
“I tell you what — you talk about a guy that is just attacking his rehab, right with a fierce intensity, but still has an incredible effect on all of the guys in the locker room,” Weaver said.
“That is like the ultimate sign of a leader in a pro because I, I’ve been in his shoes and when you’re not out on that field, sometimes you feel like it’s hard to step into that leadership role.
“But I just think it shows the amount of influence and the regard that his teammates have for him, that he is able to lead in such an incredible capacity when he’s not out there. I love him and appreciate his work. I see it every day. I can’t wait for him to get back on the field.”
