Dolphins former first-round pick confident he'll be 'a monster' after season-ending injury

The Dolphins signed edge rusher Shaquil Barrett in March, but following his surprise retirement just a few months later, they had to quickly readjust.

That is when Miami decided to reunite with veteran edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah, who had been released in February after being with the team since 2020.

While Ogbah will help make up for the loss of Barrett, the Dolphins are hoping to have even more reinforcement from edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, their first-round pick in 2021.

Phillips impressed throughout the first three years of his NFL career, registering 146 tackles, 22 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and five passes defensed, but his 2023 season was cut short after he tore his Achilles in November.

Miami has since activated Phillips from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and he seems more motivated than ever with his injury behind him.

"Probably the highest I've been in my NFL career, and then to be humbled just like that, it was devastating," Phillips said, via Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports. "But right when that happened, I remembered going to the shower and I was crying. I just told myself, like 'This is OK. I'm going to attack this. I'm going to get over this and this is going to make me stronger at the end of the day.' I really thanked God. I really said thank you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, because I know it's going to make me a monster."

Phillips has already proven to be a monster in his recovery. It typically takes nine to 12 months of rehab following an Achilles tear to return to full speed, but he has done it in less than nine months.

Part of the reason Phillips has been able to get back on the field so quickly is because he's talked with players around the league about how to return in short time, and their responses have given him even more confidence.

"I've just been picking people's brains and kind of the main takeaway I've gotten from everybody is that they feel 100%," Phillips added. "They don't feel like they had to miss a step or whether it's a year or two years afterwards, they don't feel there is an injury there. That just definitely reassured me, like I said, the more I've been able to do, the less I've been thinking about the Achilles and the more I've been building confidence. It feels great."

Only time will tell whether Phillips will return as the same player he was, but if what he says is true, he's in store for a monster season in 2024.