The Miami Dolphins just can’t seem to catch a break in 2024. The big headline injury was quarterback Tua Tagoaviloa leaving the second game of the season against the Buffalo Bills with his third diagnosed concussion of his professional career. Tagovailoa has yet to return to the lineup, being placed on injured reserve as he recovers. Miami got a bit of good news on Tagovailoa on Monday, as it was revealed he’s been symptom-free and is on schedule to return when he’s eligible to come off IR for Week 8.
But just as soon as the Dolphins get some good news, they follow it up with more bad news. Wednesday it was revealed that Dolphins’ edge rusher Jaelan Phillips will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury “that will require reconstructive surgery." Phillips was injured during the Dolphins’ Monday night debacle against the Tennessee Titans. Phillips suffered the injury early in the game when teammate Jordan Poyer's helmet hit Phillip's knee according to Miami Dolphins beat reporter Barry Jackson, but was able to walk off the field under his own power and stand on the sidelines with his teammates, and eventually return to the game.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t a sign that the injury wasn’t as severe as feared. For Phillips, this is the second major injury of his professional career, after suffering a torn Achilles tendon last season and just coming back from that shortly before the season started. Now, the Dolphins are left with some significant questions at the position.
With Phillips out for the season, and Bradley Chubb still on IR as he recovers from his own season-ending injury last season, the bulk of the pass rush duties are going to fall on the shoulders of outside linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah. Ogbah has been a capable pass rusher throughout his career, recording nine sacks in each of his first two seasons with the team in 2020 and 2021. However, Ogbah has not been the same pass rusher since, recording only 7.5 sacks the past three seasons combined.
Along with Ogbah, the Dolphins have a pair of rookies that are likely going to need to step up their production in Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara. Robinson has seen minimal action so far on the season, appearing in all four games but only recording four tackles on the season. Kamara has been inactive and has yet to appear in a regular season game for the team. Suffice it to say, the Dolphins are in a predicament when it comes to their pass rushers now that Phillips has been lost for the season.
All the major buzz around the Dolphins for the past few weeks has been about them potentially bringing in a quarterback – whether it be through free agency (Ryan Tannehill) or via a trade (Russell Wilson, among others) – but don’t be surprised if it’s a pass rusher and not a quarterback that the Dolphins wind up making a move for in the coming weeks.
