Miami Dolphins Top 10 players countdown: Jaelan Phillips is No. 7 despite injuries
Phillips, 26, now feels physically and mentally healthy.
"Obviously, I went through a lot over the last couple of years, so I felt like I needed to take a little bit of time to regather myself," Phillips said on the second day of mandatory minicamp. "It allowed me to come back with a lot more clarity and focus and just motivation. I feel like right now I'm in a really good place."
In those 12 games, Phillips posted 7.5 sacks, which tells you about his skill set.
Phillips, 6-foot-5, 263 pounds, is the ultimate combination of size, power, speed and motor.
Coach Mike McDaniel believes Phillips will be in peak, prime condition for the opener.
"He's up for the challenge," McDaniel said.
Why Jaelan Phillips is seventh-best Miami Dolphins player
Phillips has lived up to his status as the 18th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
In his first two seasons, Phillips played all 17 games and posted 15.5 sacks.
Phillips understands that some have suggested he's "injury-prone" dating back to college.
"It's just like any other negative comments that you see on the internet, you just kind of have to ignore it," Phillips said. "I can't feed into it."
Phillips' approach to 2025 is about simplicity. He's a very intelligent player and he's constantly studied different moves he could add to his pass-rush arsenal.
"Getting back to the basics, playing instinctively," Phillips said. "I feel like in time the last couple of years, there's so many guys that have so many different skill sets, so many specific moves. You've got Danielle Hunter who can do his like hook, cross-chop situation. You've got Cam Jordan, he's going to hit a chop-swim. You've got guys that specialize in different things. I feel like I've almost gotten caught up in, 'Oh, I want to do that. I want to do that. I want to do that.'"
Telling Stat
Jaelan Phillips has played only 12 games over the last two seasons, due to injury. But in 2023, in only eight games played, Phillips had 6.5 sacks and 27 quarterback pressures.
How we see Jaelan Phillips' Dolphins future
If Phillips had not sustained two key injuries, he surely would have had his contract extended.
Phillips will play this season on a fifth-year option contract of $13.3 million.
If Phillips stays healthy this season, he's surely looking at a new contract worth at least that much annually.
Phillips is a good teammate and leader. Phillips has excellent work ethic and is one of the biggest off-the-field contributors to charitable endeavors.
Phillips is exactly the type of player and person the Dolphins should be keeping long-term.
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Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips, oft-injured, still among team's best
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