Sometimes the growth and development a player has made doesn’t get put on display right away.
That was the case for Jaelan Phillips most of training camp. The Miami Dolphins pass rusher suffered a foot injury on the first day of training camp, and when he returned to team drills his impact was being seemingly minimized by Austin Jackson's resurgence.
Phillips had his moments last week in joint practices against the Atlanta Falcons, but didn’t consistently play up to his talent level, which warranted a first-round selection in 2021.
Then came this week’s joint practices against the Houston Texans, two practices where the former University of Miami standout turned the volume up on his impact, dominating each of the joint practices the way Cameron Wake or Jason Taylor would in their prime.
“I just think my confidence as a pass rusher has increased a lot. Obviously every down, but especially as a pass rusher,” Phillips said after Thursday’s practice. “This week I was going against George Fant. I faced George Fant my rookie year when he played for the Jets and I had no answers for him at all. That boy was doing me [bad] all game.
“This week I felt a lot more competitive against him. So little things like that,” said Phillips, who had three tackles, two quarterbacks hits and one sack in his one game against Fant as a rookie in 2021. “I’m big on the process and not being result-oriented. I’ve been putting in the work for the last three years and for it to show a little bit, it means a lot to me."
Stock Up
Pass rusher Jaelan Phillips - As previously mentioned, Phillips was forceful for the second straight day. If we were keeping stats, Phillips would have had two sacks, three to four pressures and a one fumble recovery type of game. He performed like the type of player who keeps offensive coordinators up at night.
Safety Jevon Holland - Holland is being asked to do a ton in Vic Fangio’s scheme, which has traditionally been built around safeties, and he’s performing at a relatively high level in the tasks being given to him. Holland intercepted a deep pass from C.J. Stroud along the right sideline on Thursday, and was leaned on in coverage of receivers often because of Miami’s shortage of cornerbacks.
Guard Lester Cotton - The former Alabama offensive lineman followed up a solid preseason performance against the Falcons with two straight solid days going against the Houston Texans. Cotton might lack the mobility some of Miami’s other contenders for the starting left guard spot possess, but he’s rarely ever pushed into the pocket on pass-blocking snaps. Two impactful performances in these two final preseason games could allow him to secure a spot on the 53-man roster, and might help him lock up the starting left guard spot.
Tight end Julian Hill - This Campbell University standout, who the Dolphins signed as an undrafted rookie, has caught our attention from time to time, but during Thursday’s joint practice he served as a reliable target for Miami’s quarterbacks. He caught a touchdown pass during 7-on-7s in the red zone, and has been just as impactful as Tyler Kroft, Eric Saubert and Elijah Higgins, with much fewer opportunities. He’ll have limited opportunities in the final two preseason game, so Hill needs to make every snap count if he intends to earn a spot on Miami’s practice squad.
Stock down
Cornerback Eli Apple - The seven-year veteran Miami signed to compensate for the injury Jalen Ramsey suffered has had a quiet camp up until this week. Yesterday he allowed a touchdown during Houston’s red zone work, and on Thursday Nico Collins scored a 65-yard touchdown with Apple trailing him the entire slant route. If Noah Igbinoghene didn’t struggle against Collins as well he likely would have used this week to lock down the starting spot opposite Xavien Howard. But right now it’s any cornerback's game.
OT Kion Smith - With Terron Armstead injured and Austin Jackson taking limited reps during Thursday’s practice for unknown reasons, Smith’s status was elevated and he struggled to provide proper blocking for Tua Tagovailoa during the session. In the situation period that ended the practice he allowed Texans pass rusher Jonathan Greenard to record a would-be sack that could have spoiled the come-from-behind drive right after Tagovailoa has just extended it by converting a fourth-and-10 with a 11-yard completion to River Cracraft.
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