Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles
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The 2021 first-round pick had 6.5 sacks in eight games played.
Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his Achilles in Friday’s 34-13 win over the New York Jets. The 2021 first-round pick torched New York’s offensive line for three tackles behind of scrimmage before suffering the injury with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X.com that an MRI confirmed Phillips’ injury and that his season ended after getting to the quarterback six times in the last five games.
“It’s just one of those things that at the end of the day I know is going to make him better, going to make the rest of the team, going to make everyone better,” linebacker Bradley Chubb said on Friday. “You got to go through those hardships in order to get to where you want to be, and yeah it is unfortunate, but every time he puts his head down and work, and get to get back and as fast as he possibly can, and we’ll be right there to support him the whole way.
“I told him whatever it is, I’m going to be there in the rehab room to make sure you do everything in order to be the best you. So I know he’s a person that wants to be great, and I’m going to make sure I’m there for him, and the whole team is on his side.”
Phillips and Christian Wilkins lead the team with 6.5 sacks each, and the Dolphins feature six players with at least four sacks through 11 games. Miami’s pass rush averages almost four sacks per game and has allowed more than 21 points just once since Week 5.
“It was emotional,” coach Mike McDaniel McDaniel said of the injury. “I think that’s one of the special things about this particular team, is there’s a lot of shared journeys. Everybody sees what he puts in on a daily basis and everybody knows how bad he wants to take steps in his game and be absolutely great in this League, which he has and we’ve been very proud of him the whole season.
“It’s very, very tough in the short term from my vantage point, and just my experience with people if it’s the worst case scenario, but you get the chance to write your own story, so he’s the type of person and he has the right mindset where he’ll be able to turn anything that’s perceived as negative into an eventual positive.”
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