Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips is progressing in his recovery from a torn Achilles, but he’ll be returning to a defense that looks different than the one he was part of before his injuy.
The Dolphins have released fellow edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah and they are set to release cornerback Xavien Howard on the first day of the new league year. The moves will create much-needed salary cap space, but Phillips said that they are going to leave a void on his side of the ball.
“It’s going to be tough,” Phillips said, via David Furones of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Me, personally, Emmanuel was somebody who had me under his wings since I came in as a rookie. 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. Those two were staples on this team for quite a while.”
A healthy return for Phillips would help shore up the edges of the defense, but finding the right player to step into Howard’s shoes in the secondary may be a bit more challenging for Miami.