Dolphins May Have Interesting Dilemma With Jaelan Phillips

It seems like he could be ready soon, but if you’re the Dolphins, do you want to risk a potential setback by doing that?

Phillips wants to get back on the field and is a key player in the Dolphins’ defense, but there is no rush because the NFL is a 17-game season, and it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The Dolphins need Phillips, but they have time. 

The Dolphins and Phillips have to be smart about this. The Dolphins are thin with edge rushers, but they can put Phillips on the PUP list to start the season, keep him out for a month, and then bring him back.

At some point, the Dolphins could activate him to start the season, maybe have him on a low play count to ease him back in, and, as the season goes on, increase his workload and snap count. 

Phillips wants to play, but he also has to consider his future because, after this year, he’s on the 5th year option and nothing else.

The Dolphins want to sign him long-term but must see him return to full strength. If Phillips has a setback, it could potentially cost him down the road.

The Dolphins also lack fellow edge rusher Bradley Chubb, so they have a lot of inexperience in the position compared to rookies Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara. I don’t know what to expect from both players. The Dolphins also have Emmanuel Ogbah returning, so they do have some bodies for the short term.  

Both the Dolphins and Phillips have to be smart about this. The Dolphins are a better defense with Phillips, and he is a cornerstone player on defense, so they have to protect him. The Dolphins should take the conservative approach and keep him out the first month of the season. The Dolphins can survive the first four games without him and prepare him for later in the season.