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What does Dolphins drafting two edge rushers say about the progress of Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb?

david furones, south florida sun-sentinel
·3 min read

After watching the Miami Dolphins take an edge defender with their first pick in the 2024 draft and then double down with another one later on Day 3, it could be fair to wonder where Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb stand in all this.

Both, of course, are undergoing lengthy rehabs this offseason after Phillips tore his Achilles on Nov. 24 against the New York Jets and Chubb tore an ACL in a knee on Dec. 31 against the Baltimore Ravens.

While reports of their progress have been positive, it’s unknown at this point whether they’ll be football-ready to start the season. Or how much training camp work they can get with the team before the season. Or whether they’ll be their same effective selves once they do return to the field.

With a lot of questions, the Dolphins used their first-round pick on another standup edge rusher, Chop Robinson out of Penn State, with the No. 21 pick Thursday night. By the time the fifth round rolled around on Saturday, Miami snagged Colorado State’s Mohamed Kamara.

Do these selections offer any indications on the current status of Phillips and Chubb?

The answer is probably not, although Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was vague in detailing where they stand in rehab when asked if they could be available for on-field work during organized team activities or mandatory minicamp.

“I’m excited about where they’re at today, and I’m very, very encouraged for the prospect of their tomorrow,” McDaniel said.

“I’m telling you; I don’t do timelines,” he added. “It doesn’t work. It doesn’t make sense. It’s like a hex. It used to be you put pressure on a date and you wish it not to exist, so I’m not doing that.”

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He has previously said, about a month back, that the two have been working tirelessly, to the point that the team has actually had to mandate they take some rest. Like the coach did with cornerback Jalen Ramsey, though, he’s not putting any timelines on Phillips and Chubb.

Robinson can become part of an edge-rushing rotation when all are healthy, and he can even start if, say, either Phillips or Chubb aren’t healthy for Week 1.

McDaniel even said he envisions pass-rushing packages where Phillips, Chubb and Robinson can all be on the field together. Maybe veteran free-agent pickup Shaquil Barrett can also be part of those for an ultra-pass-rushing unit when all are healthy.

“All scenarios are alive,” McDaniel said Thursday night after the conclusion of the first round. “I think it’s key to remember — ‘Man, that team, they just had too many pass rushers; that was their problem’ — that’s never been said.”

And Robinson sees value in learning from the veteran edge rushers already in Miami.

“I feel like that’s going to be a great situation for me,” he said. “Come in there, learn from those guys, compete every day, being able to take things from them and take it to my game.”

Also with questions remaining about his rehab this offseason is center Connor Williams, who is a free agent after suffering a torn ACL in early December.

Williams has remained focused on rehab and getting the knee healthy before making any free agent decision.

“He’s working on his rehab, taking care of himself and getting himself healthy,” general manager Chris Grier said. “So that’s the only update we have. We’ve heard he’s doing well. I know a couple of our guys saw him recently. He’s doing well, but he’s focused on his rehab right now.”

Added McDaniel: “When I talk to him, it’s more about being healthy and deciding that when he feels good, but it’s more just about spending time with his family and getting his body right. So he’s in great spirits.”