Dolphins' Phillips feeling 'great' 3 months after tearing Achilles
Miami Dolphins pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips is thrilled with his progress from a torn Achilles suffered in late November.
"I don't know what the schedule is. ... All I know is I feel strong. I feel great. Just attacking this rehab has been awesome so far," Phillips said Saturday, according to David Furones of Sun Sentinel.
"It's something that's kind of new to me because I've never had a lower-extremity injury like that - long-term, at least," he added. "It's been a new experience learning my body and figuring out what to do is best for me."
Phillips sustained the injury in Week 12 against the New York Jets. The 24-year-old had a tremendous season before the ailment, recording 11 quarterback hits and 6.5 sacks in eight contests.
Phillips is set to enter his fourth year in the NFL after the Dolphins selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Miami has until May 2 to pick up Phillips' fifth-year option.
The Dolphins cleared cap space Friday by releasing cornerback Xavien Howard and edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah. Both players had been with Miami since Phillips entered the league.
"Me, personally, Emmanuel was somebody who had me under his wings since I came in as a rookie," Phillips said. "It's really unfortunate to see him go, but the team's going to rally around each other. Definitely going to miss my brother.
"Same thing with X (Howard). Those two were staples on this team for quite a while."
Phillips has 146 tackles and 22 sacks in 42 career games.