Kelly: Jaelan Phillips rehab has impressed Dolphins. Can Miami’s edge rusher convince the trainers to let him practice?

Jaelan Phillips has his sights set on playing in the Miami Dolphins’ season opener, and he’s doing everything in his power to get cleared to participate in training camp’s practices so he can prove he’ll be ready.

The Dolphins’ 2021 first-round pick has been aggressively rehabbing the past eight month, and while his teammates practiced for two hours on Thursday the 26-game starter was doing position drills on his own to showcase his lateral movement.

Phillips, who torn his Achilles tendon in a late November win over the New York Jets, would get out of his two point stance as if the ball had just been snapped and dropped back into coverage 10-15 yards, sprinting laterally to a spot Sam Brenner, a former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman turned team trainer, identified.

He did this over and over again for a 10 minute period and moved fluidly doing so, which hints that he’s far along in his rehab, which typically takes 9-12 months.

It’s unclear when Phillips started doing lateral work, but that’s supposedly one of the biggest challenges for players who have have ruptured an Achilles tendon. Moving laterally is also a major component of an edge player’s job in a 3-4 scheme.

“I’ve learned that he is an absolute freak,” said defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver when asked about Phillips’ rehab process. “He is a specimen of a human being, and a phenomenal person. He’s chomping at the bit to get out there on the field and play with his guys.”

Weaver said before practice head coach Mike McDaniel showed the team a clip of how fast Phillips was running during his rehab program during his sprint work on Thursday.

“We got excited seeing those numbers,” Weaver said, likely referring to the GPS trackers teams make players wear to monitor everything from distances run, steps taken, to miles per hour speed on a daily basis.

When asked how fast Phillips was running, Weaver’s response was “faster than I’ve ever seen a dude that big run.”

I can actually testify to that based on the sprints I witnessed on Thursday.

Hypothetically, let’s assume Phillips can convince the Dolphins to let him practice in a week or two. That would mean he’d put himself in position to potentially participate in Miami’s three sets of joint practices the next three weeks, and the three exhibition games, which begin next Friday as the Dolphins host the Atlanta Falcons.

Clearly, Phillips would start slow and be on a ramp up program with the goal of being cleared to play in the week one game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 8.

However, taking him off the PUP list would eliminate Miami’s ability to stash an extra player on the 53-man roster because at this time Phillips won’t count against the 53-man roster if Miami keeps him on the PUP list when the 53-man roster is assembled.

In Phillips and Bradley Chubbs’ absence, which was caused by an ACL tear he suffered in late December, others have stepped up to fill the edge rusher void.

Quinton Bell, a practice squad player in 2023, has been one of camp’s top performers in the first 7 training camp practices. It’s clear been made clear he’s the front runner to start at one edge spot because hes showcased the ability to set the edge, consistently rushes the quarterback well, and has showcased athleticism that’s second only to Chop Robinson in that unit.

Emmanuel Ogbah, a former Dolphins starter who was re-signed when Shaquil Barrett surprisingly retired, has been solid, and the rookies - Robinson and Mohamed Kamara - have held their own as young edge players.

Robinson, the Dolphins’ 2024 first-round pick, is playing well, showcasing his unmatched first step, which enables him to time the snap of the ball off amazingly. But the former Penn State standout is struggling when it comes to edge setting, which is what’s needed in every defense to contain the run.

Until Robinson masters that he’ll serve as a situational pass rusher, entering the game on third downs and obvious passing situations, which is ironically the role Phillips played in his first NFL season.

“His run game has improved from day one. He’s getting more comfortable within himself, within the pads, within the system, with what he’s being asked to do,” outside linebacker coach Ryan Crow said, of Robinson.

Crow, who inherited a unit decimated by injuries because of the season-ending injuries Phillips, Chubb and Cameron Goode (patella tendon) suffered late last season, stressed the need for people to be patient with Robinson, and for him to not lose his confidence and keep working.

“This is for all OLBs, and I make them repeat it verbatim. Set the edge, then affect the quarterback,” Crow said, emphasizing what has been a point of emphasis for Miami’s defense all camp. “The reason being, if you don’t stop the run in this league it’s all the teams are going to do. You’ll never have a chance to rush the quarterback….We have to earn the right to rush.”