Pass rusher Jaelan Phillips of the Miami Dolphins is feeling quite sad and depleted about his recuperation from the Achilles tear that interrupted his 2023 campaign.

At Saturday’s University of Miami spring game, Phillips told ESPN, “Rehab has been going great.” “I’m just going after it every day, and with any luck, I’ll return for the season healthy and stay that way as well.”

Although Phillips did not provide a precise time frame in his response, it seems that the linebacker plans to be prepared by the opening week of the 2024 campaign. It would be impressive to recover from an Achilles tear sustained in November that fast. If he could return to his previous level of productivity, it would also be an accomplishment.

After sustaining an Achilles injury in October 2022 while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, newly signing Dolphins pass rusher Shaquil Barrett recovered in time for the opening game of the following season. But by the end of the year, he had only 4.5 sacks.

Dawuane Smoot of the Jacksonville Jaguars tore his Achilles tendon in December 2022, missing the first five games of 2023. Upon his comeback, he only had one sack in 12 games and is currently a free agent.

Prior to his injury, Phillips, who turns 25 next month, has 6.5 sacks through eight games in 2023 and 15.5 sacks in his first two seasons with the Dolphins. Bradley Chubb, a pass rusher for Miami, later went down with an ACL tear sustained in Week 17.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said reporters in March that Phillips and Chubb “literally live there,” thus the team has had to require them to take days off from their rehabilitation.

With 56 sacks at the end of the 2023 season, the Dolphins were third in the NFL in sack total. However, Christian Wilkins and Andrew Van Ginkel were lost to free agency.