Dolphins’ Brooks updates his status. And insight on Chop Robinson, Weaver’s defense

A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Tuesday:

▪ It appears that linebacker Jordyn Brooks is going to play through quadriceps and knee injuries that forced him to leave the 49ers game for a time before re-entering late.

Speaking on a Zoom session with reporters on Tuesday, Brooks said the injury is “nothing serious” and he’s feeling good.

Brooks is 12th in the NFL in tackles with 128. Only one of the 11 NFL players ahead of him has more tackles for loss and sacks than Brooks’ 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. (The Eagles’ Zack Baun has 11 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.)

▪ Rookie outside linebacker Chop Robinson has six sacks in the past eight games. And since Week 9 of the season, he ranks third in the NFL with 39 pressures and first in pass rush win rate at 23.9.

He’s tied with Micah Parsons for fifth in the NFL in pass rush win rate, and Pro Football Focus rates him the 38th best edge player among 116 qualifiers this season.

On Tuesday, Robinson shared one big factor for his improvement midway through the season:

“Coming in here, I was beating guys with speed. [In the NFL], guys are setting me different, grabbing me more, punching different. I had to learn from that. Once I picked up on that, I was able to use that against them.”

Robinson credits outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow for helping him make that adjustment. He also has thanked several veterans, including Bradley Chubb, Calais Campbell and Terron Armstead, for mentoring him.

Robinson made a huge play early in Sunday’s 29-17 win against the 49ers when he deflected a Brock Purdy pass, preventing a likely touchdown. He said he “didn’t realize” he had prevented a potential TD “until I got to the sideline.”

The Dolphins have several other players who are skilled at knock-downs: Campbell, Zach Sieler and Emmanuel Ogbah. “Having Calais and guys like that, I knew we had to put our hands up,” Robinson said.

Robinson’s six sacks for the season are the fifth-most ever by a Dolphins rookie, behind Jaelan Phillips (8.5 in 2021), Bill Stanfill and Lorenzo Bromell (8 apiece) and A.J. Duhe (7). Like Robinson, Marco Coleman had six sacks as a Dolphins rookie.

“His progression has been crazy,” Dolphins guard Isaiah Wynn said Tuesday. “To see where he started from where he came in, to refine his skills [to this]. It’s scary to see how high his ceiling is.”

Teammates love his “Chop” celebration after sacks. Brooks said Robinson told him weeks ago that when he had a sack, “I’ve got one [a celebration] up my sleeve.”

Robinson has 22 tackles (seven for loss) and four passes defended in 15 games, including one start.

▪ Despite playing without Chubb all season and Jaelan Phillips for most of the season, the Dolphins defense ranks third in third down defense, fourth in red zone defense, sixth in rushing defense, seventh in total defense (312.8 yards allowed per game), 10th in scoring defense (21.9 points permitted per game) and 11th in passing defense.

On Tuesday, Brooks raved about coordinator Anthony Weaver.

“You get a feel for his demeanor and personality [interviewing him],” Brooks told reporters. “That’s the way you have to be to coach men in this league. He’s got the respect of all the guys in the locker room. It makes you want to play hard for him. That’s why [on] defense, we’ve had the success we’ve had. He’s done a great job bringing in a great system and coaching us the right way and earning the respect of everyone, holding everybody accountable.”

▪ Rookie receiver Malik Washington - who was the ACC’s most productive receiver last season when he caught 110 passes for 1426 yards at Virginia - acknowledged Tuesday that he’s driven by lasting until the sixth round (184th overall).

“A lot of guys ended up unhappy on draft day; I would have loved to be picked earlier,” he said. “I’m just trying to take that and use as fuel and show others it doesn’t matter when you’re picked. It matters what you do when you get there.”

Washington’s height (5-8) worked against him in the draft process. He also said that blocking “was one of my weaknesses” in college and he was determined to improve it.

Washington, who has been excellent the past month, played the most snaps among Dolphins receivers against the 49ers, and coaches and teammates have praised Washington for his maturity. He said he wasn’t always quite as mature.

“Way back in high school, I was too busy dwelling on things that didn’t go my way,” he said, noting he sustained a torn ACL in high school. “I shifted my mindset on football and everything that was going on. From there, I understand things might not always go your way but the response you have shows your true character.”

▪ What player has Brooks gained an extra appreciation for since signing with the Dolphins?

“Zach Sieler,” Brooks said. “I didn’t know much about him at all. Even when I first met him, I didn’t know who he was. It’s no accident the success he’s having. He’s a guy I wasn’t thinking about coming in and he’s earned a lot of respect for the way he plays, the way he works.”

▪ Quick stuff: Kicker Jason Sanders, who had five field goals in five attempts against the 49ers, has made a franchise-record 23 consecutive field goal attempts, including eight in a row from 50 yards or more. On Tuesday, he was named AFC special teams player of the week....

CBS is sending Sunday’s 4:05 p.m. Dolphins-Browns game to Miami-Ft. Lauderdale; West Palm Beach; Naples-Ft. Myers; Dallas; Las Vegas; New Orleans; Indianapolis; Philadelphia and all of Ohio except Cincinnati. The reason for the randomness of some of those cities: CBS sends a 4 p.m. game to some markets whose home team is playing at 1 p.m. on Fox, to avoid direct competition. Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber and Jason McCourty, CBS’ No. 4 team, will call the game. Regionalization maps can be found at 506sports.com...

The date and time of the Week 18 Dolphins-at-Jets game is expected to be announced Sunday night. While Saturday (Jan. 4) cannot be ruled out if the Dolphins enter Week 18 alive for the playoffs, a 1 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. Sunday start (Jan. 5) would appear more likely.