Jaelan Phillips has once again run into injury trouble which will cut his season short. The fourth-year Dolphins edge rusher announced on Wednesday he will miss the remainder of the campaign. 
Phillips’ statement notes he suffered a knee injury during Miami’s Week 4 loss on Monday night. As Rapoport detailed in a subsequent report, Phillips sustained a partially-torn ACL, which will require reconstructive surgery and set him up for another lengthy rehab process that will hopefully allow him to be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign. As a result, the Dolphins will be without one of their top defenders the rest of this season while attempting to rebound from a 1-3 start.
Medical red flags were present when Phillips entered the NFL, but he did not miss any time during his first two seasons. That situation changed last year when the former first-rounder suffered an Achilles tear on Black Friday. Phillips was limited to eight games as a result, and his promising campaign came to an abrupt end. As expected, he was back to full strength in time for the start of the 2024 slate, but in short order he has once again been sidelined by a major injury.
The UCLA and Miami product had an encouraging rookie campaign, notching 8.5 sacks. He followed that up with seven one year later and 6.5 (before the injury) last season, leading to high expectations for his production in 2024. Phillips, 25, managed only one sack and a pair of pressures before going down, but his absence will still be acutely felt on a Dolphins team dealing with key injuries at a number of positions.
Of course, Miami’s edge contingent has been without Bradley Chubb so far this season. The two-time Pro Bowler remains on the PUP list as he rehabs the ACL tear which ended his 2023 campaign. With the first four weeks of the season in the books, Chubb is eligible to return to practice and be activated at any time. It remains to be seen, however, when the former Bronco will be healthy enough to suit up. Without Chubb (for the time being) and Phillips for the season’s remainder, Miami will rely on the likes of veteran Emmanuel Ogbah and rookies Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara along the edge.
The Dolphins picked up Phillips’ 2025 fifth-year option, tying him to a salary of $13.3MM that year. A long-term deal loomed as a logical path for the team to take given his early production, but back-to-back injuries creating lengthy absences will no doubt affect Miami’s approach to negotiations on that front. Phillips will turn his attention to rehab ahead of an offseason in which his financial future will be a key talking point.
Tua isn’t going to recognize this team for more reasons than one
Tough luck for this guy. What is going on with this team? Too much talent for these results. Tua will be back. They cant function without him.
The reality is that last year was their all-in season and this year they were behind the eight ball money-wise. They didn’t properly invest in the offensive line or a backup QB. They couldn’t adequately replace all of the pieces they lost on defense. And they’ve committed vast resources to guys with serious health concerns, from huge contracts for Tua and Armstead to a first round pick on Phillips to spending a first round pick and a major contract on Chubb. Sometimes the bill comes due on the risks you’ve taken.