MIAMI GARDENS — Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips came off the physically-unable-to-perform list Monday, boosting hopes he’ll be ready to play in the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against Jacksonville.
Coach Mike McDaniel, who spoke before Monday’s practice, also said wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. could be coming off the PUP list soon.
Phillips’ return means Miami’s pass rush, which established a franchise-record 56 sacks last season, will be much better-equipped for the Jaguars game and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Phillips will presumably join an edge rusher rotation that includes veteran Emmanuel Ogbah, rookie Chop Robinson and upstart Quinton Bell. Each has been productive during training camp.
Phillips sustained an Achilles injury in the Nov. 24 Black Friday game at the New York Jets.
It’s not yet known when Phillips might get to 100% health.
But his return offers a cushion for fellow edge rusher Bradley Chubb to return from the season-ending knee injury he sustained in December.
In the previous week or so, Phillips and Beckham had been seen running hard on a side field during recent training camp practices.
Chubb has been seen on the field during the latter part of training camp practices but he hasn’t yet been seen running aggressively such as Phillips or Beckham.
Phillips, a 2021 first-round pick, ended last season with 6.5 sacks and was coming on very well at the time of his injury.
“He was feeling a different level of confidence,” McDaniel said.
Phillips said McDaniel told him before that Jets game that he was playing so well he had a chance to become a household name. Phillips said he cried in the shower the night he sustained the injury. But he quickly gathered himself and decided he’d bounce back from this ailment.
McDaniel said he learned a lot about Phillips during his rehabilitation.
“For me, what I got to learn about Jaelan Phillips is that he’s a very capable, strong learner,” McDaniel said.
The recovery took a special level of “intestinal fortitude,” McDaniel said.
Phillips said he’s spoken with many players recently who had Achilles injuries, including Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins and Houston running back Cam Akers, who also sustained their injuries last season. Phillips said he met Cousins at the Las Vegas Super Bowl while serving as a “show pony” at a corporate event. Phillips said Cousins and Akers both offered encouraging words about coming back from an Achilles injury.
Brown, Murphy to IR; new signings include St. Thomas alum
Linebacker Cam Brown, who has played inside and outside, was placed on the injured reserve list Monday along with edge rusher Grayson Murphy. Both were having good training camps as pass rushers.
The Dolphins announced they’ve signed linebackers David Anenih and Wyatt Ray, who attended St. Thomas Aquinas High.
Anenih, who entered the league with Tennessee in 2022 as an undrafted rookie out of Houston, has spent time with Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Arizona, mostly on their practice squads.
Ray, who signed with Cleveland in 2019 out of Boston College, has played in 23 games and totaled 18 tackles, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble.
Practice attendance
Among those not seen at Monday’s practice were running backs Salvon Ahmed and Jeff Wilson Jr., defensive linemen Benito Jones and Neville Gallimore, tight ends Jody Fortson Jr. and Tanner Conner, center Aaron Brewer, edge rusher Mohamed Kamara, cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey, Cam Smith and Ethan Bonner, and wide receiver Anthony Schwartz.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who McDaniel said is nursing a minor injury, attended practice but didn’t participate.
Wide receivers Braxton Berrios, who McDaniel said was nursing a minor injury, and Erik Ezukanma returned to practice.
Safety Jordan Poyer, who is nursing a thumb injury, according to his wife’s social media post, ran wind sprints during practice, which he did during last week. Poyer was wearing a cast Monday.
Film review for Wright focuses on details
Rookie running back Jaylen Wright had a good debut with 55 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown in the preseason opener against Atlanta. But sometimes film tells a different story. Here’s what Wright had to say about his first NFL film review session.
“My coaches were pleased with the way I played,” he said. “Of course, there’s corrections. He’s very picky, I should say, because he (running backs coach Eric Studesville) just wants the best for me. So, of course, there were some bad things, there were some good things.
“He congratulated me on the good things I did. As well, on the bad things he told me what I need to work on.”
Wright said veteran running back Raheem Mostert has been good in helping him learn details.
“Just pressing the right tracks, delivering the blocks to the linebackers, just processing the play when I hear it so I can get to where I need to be in every formation,” Wright said. “Just the details on everything.”
Longest stretch of camp
The Dolphins are in the midst of four consecutive practices, which represents the longest such stretch of training camp. Previously, the Dolphins’ longest stretch has been three consecutive days.
Of course, considering much of Monday’s practice was at walkthrough speed it’s not as though this is a rugged stretch.
As a reminder, the Dolphins have a joint practice with Washington on Thursday before Saturday’s 7 p.m. preseason game against the Commanders at Hard Rock Stadium.
OL moves line of scrimmage
McDaniel said one thing he liked about the offensive line’s performance against Atlanta was how they reset the line of scrimmage. Resetting the line of scrimmage is usually a factor when the Dolphins play AFC bullies such as Buffalo and Kansas City.
McDaniel also said the offensive line, including rookie left tackle Patrick Paul, the second-round pick, demonstrated that they’re grasping their new techniques and showing an ability to learn quickly.
“What I was happy with at times during the game and, particularly in the group that Patrick was playing with, I saw the line of scrimmage being reset,” McDaniel said. “And that is something we work diligently at. We’ve tried to kind of frame how we articulate it to engender better results.”
McDaniel said he thinks sometimes “you get to learn a lot about your overall team and where they’re at by some of the twos and threes (second- and third-team players) and where their game is at because it’s almost like a baseline” for where your game is at and what has clicked.
By the way, the injury to guard-tackle Kion Smith will force some offensive line shuffling, but McDaniel isn’t sure what that will mean as far as personnel. Smith, normally a backup offensive tackle, started at left guard against Atlanta and sustained a season-ending knee injury in the game. Smith has been placed on the injured reserve list.
McDaniel said the race to replace Smith began with Monday’s practice.
Among the top candidates are guard Lester Cotton and guard-center Jack Driscoll although Driscoll could be in the running to start at center with Aaron Brewer (hand) considered week to week. It’s thought that right guard Liam Eichenberg could also get the nod to start at center in Brewer’s place, which would mean Miami needs a new starting right guard.
McMorris shows good things
McDaniel said rookie safety Patrick McMorris, the sixth-round pick from California, showed good things while recording eight tackles in the Atlanta game, which tied for the team lead. McMorris said he was awarded a game ball for his effort.
McDaniel said it’s been fun watching McMorris take what he learned out of pads and translate it to wearing pads. He also said McMorris has been taking advantage of the knowledge offered in the safety room from veterans Jordan Poyer and Jevon Holland.
