Jaelan Phillips has only played a handful of games with Chop Robinson, but he’s seen enough of the Miami Dolphins’ 2024 first-round pick to feel like he’s a star in the making.
“I truly feel like Chop is going to be one of the best players in the league very soon,” Phillips told reporters Friday. “I think he already is supremely talented, but the more comfortable he gets, the more confident he gets, and everything he’s doing, I think he’s a future Defensive Player of the Year candidate.”
Robinson, 22, was forced into a significant role as a rookie with Bradley Chubb unavailable all year due to a knee injury suffered late in the 2023 season. The Dolphins became even more reliant on the first-year pass rusher when Phillips suffered a season-ending knee injury of his own in Week 4.
But after a slow start with zero sacks in September and October, Robinson emerged as one of the NFL’s most productive pass rushers in the back half of the 2024 season. Between Weeks 10 and 18, Robinson was credited with 42 quarterback pressures by PFF, second most over that stretch behind only the Dallas Cowboys’ four-time Pro Bowl rusher Micah Parsons.
With Chubb and Phillips both healthy and in training camp, the Dolphins are hopeful that finally having the trio at Anthony Weaver’s disposal will result in chaos in opposing backfields.
“I think you’ll see things open up a little more, so it will be exciting,” Phillips told reporters in June. “[Robinson’s] improvement from last year to this year is like so noticeable, it’s insane. Especially if you really know the nitty gritty of it, so I’m really proud of Chop, really excited to see how he’s going to keep progressing. Obviously, Bradley (Chubb) looks great, I feel really good. It’s going to be fun.”
The Dolphins finished the 2024 season with 35 sacks, sixth fewest in the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips calls teammate ‘a future Defensive Player of the Year candidate’
Reporting by Adam Stites, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
