While a lot of the focus in Miami right now is on the loss of star wideout Tyreek Hill, the attrition might not stop there. The trade market appears to be hungry for pass rushers, and the Dolphins may just be willing to open one up to the crowd in fifth-year outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips. 
The team’s second first-round pick in 2021, Phillps didn’t have to go far after finishing out his collegiate career at The U. A five-star recruit out of Redlands East Valley HS in southern California, Phillips first committed to play at nearby UCLA. He made an immediate impact as a true freshman before seeing his sophomore season come to an early end after only four games because of a season-ending concussion.
After being dealt multiple other injuries, including some from being hit by a car while on a moped, Phillips followed advice to medically retire from the sport. After the school year ended, though, Phillips transferred to Miami (FL), where he intended to return to football. He sat out the 2019 season, as required by the NCAA transfer rules at that time, before delivering a second-team All-American season for the Hurricanes. He opted to forgo his eligibility and was drafted 18th overall by Miami.
Phillips came swinging out the gate for the Dolphins. Rotating in off the bench most of the time as a rookie, Phillips’ 8.5 sacks were a half-sack away from the team lead, which he did achieve with seven sacks in his sophomore campaign. Over those first two years, in addition to the 15.5 sacks, Phillips compiled 17 tackles for loss, 41 quarterback hits, three pass deflections, three fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.
In 2023, Phillips looked to be on pace for career-defining year. After missing three of the team’s first five games, he went on a six-game tear. In eight games total, Phillips had racked up 6.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss. With six games left in the season, Phillips looked certain to achieve some new career highs. Instead, a torn Achilles tendon ended his season.
The Dolphins exercised Phillips’ fifth-year option, giving themselves a bit more time to see how he might recover and rejoin the team, and he worked hard to make his way back to the field in time for some training camp. He had overcome injury again and was ready to reap his reward. Unfortunately, Phillips’ injury troubles did not stay at bay for long. In just the fourth week of the 2024 season, Phillips suffered a partially torn ACL that would end that season, as well.
After three and a half healthy seasons of high-level play, it seemed as if Phillips had beaten his injury demons, coming back from the brink of football retirement to become a first-round pick and an NFL starter. In the past two years, though, the medical red flags from his past have begun to stick again.
Still, Phillips is healthy today. Once again working his way back to the field for the start of the regular season, Phillips has started every game so far for Miami and hasn’t appeared on a single injury report. He hasn’t amassed a sack, tackle for loss, or quarterback hit this year, but the Dolphins have been slow to work him back up to the volume of snaps he was playing back in 2022.
If a team is willing to give up some draft compensation for a partial-year rental of Phillips, it seems Miami would be more than willing to oblige. With Phillips on the final year of his contract, there’s a chance he could earn a lucrative deal in free agency if the team that trades for him doesn’t extend or re-sign him. If so, that team could potentially earn a compensatory pick for losing him.
The Dolphins, too, could just wait for the compensatory reward of letting Phillips walk in free agency, but according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, Miami would prefer to get a pick for the 2026 NFL Draft now rather than wait for the comp pick in 2027. Plus, because of the comp pick potential, they can ask for a bit more in draft compensation, though it may be a wash as the team receiving him would be taking on more than half of the $13.25MM base salary he’s due this year on his fifth-year option.
So, what teams might be interested in acquiring the 26-year-old with a bit of an injury history? It would likely be a team that is struggling to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and knowing the short-term nature of his deal, they could be hoping to contend this year. The 49ers fit that bill, considering their 18 pressures are good for second-worst in the NFL, despite the fact that they are one of only two teams to have played five games this year. The Commanders, Chiefs, and Eagles are also playoff-hopeful teams who currently sport middle-of-the-road pass rush numbers.
Regardless, there may not be much of a future for Phillips in Miami. Even if he could work his way past a slow start and finish the season strong, his brutal injury history may dissuade a Dolphins front office that has already watched him miss a good portion of the last two seasons. Counterintuitively, a brighter future for Phillips may await him outside of Miami.
“I think it starts with the leadership in helping articulate that for the guy, and what we’re expecting out of the guys,” he said (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe).
