Phillips addresses trade talk. And a Dolphins coach explains lineup changes
With trade rumors swirling, Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips said this week that he prefers to remain with the Dolphins but won’t ask the front office or coaches for clarity on the matter.
Asked if he intends to ask management if he has been made available in trade discussions, Phillips said he will “probably leave that up to my agent [Brian Ayrault]. It’s not really my place. I just show up and try to get better.”
ESPN has reported that Phillips and Bradley Chubb are expected to be targeted by teams before the Nov. 4 trade deadline. NFL Network said the Dolphins already are receiving calls on Chubb. Miami could opt to trade a few veterans if they don’t begin winning a lot, and quickly, after a 1-5 start.
The Dolphins haven’t signed Phillips, 26, to a contract extension, and he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in March. He could be traded if the Dolphins decide that they do not want to re-sign him.
Though the Dolphins could get a compensatory draft pick for losing Phillips in free agency, that pick would not be awarded until 2027. Trading him in the coming weeks could net a 2026 pick.
Selected by the Dolphins 18th overall out of UM in 2021, Phillips has just one sack (and one tackle for loss) in six games this season after producing 8.5 sacks as a rookie, 7.0 in his second season and 6.5 in his third season, when a torn Achilles limited him to 13 games.
He had a sack and tackle for loss last season before sustaining a season-ending torn ACL in Week 4 against Tennessee.
He’s off to a slow start statistically this season, with three quarterback hits in six games. He permitted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to escape his grasp late in last Sunday’s loss, allowing Herbert to complete a pass that set up the game-winning field goal.
Phillips, who is earning $13.2 million this season while playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, made clear he prefers to stay with the Dolphins.
“I love this team,” he said. “I’ve dedicated a lot of emotions to this organization. Ideally I would [stay] but I’ve got to do my job…. Whether it’s the Dolphins keep me or another team getting me, that’s completely out of my control. It’s not something I’m worrying about… I can’t do anything about that.”
Playing time explanations
Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver explained two changes regarding playing time in the loss to the Chargers:
▪ Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, who had starting experience in Detroit, played a season-low two defensive snaps, compared with 34 for rookie fifth-round pick Dante Trader Jr.
“That’s all earned throughout the week,” Weaver explained. “The Trader kid has shown flashes. We want to see what we’ve got. It wasn’t necessarily anything Iffy didn’t do. All things are options and on the table this week. There’s a lot of competition at that position.”
▪ On the decision to give Ethan Bonner some of Jack Jones’ snaps at cornerback, Weaver explained that Bonner “was very close to potentially winning a starting spot” before an August hamstring injury. “I love what Jack has done. We will continue to let them battle it out throughout the week.”
Against the Chargers, Bonner played 16 snaps; Jones played 46. But the gap was that wide because the Chargers’ possessions were shorter with Bonner on the field.
This and that
▪ Second-year player Jordan Colbert, who was a safety in college at Rhode Island before signing with the Dolphins as undrafted free agent 17 months ago, was moved to linebacker weeks ago, the team revealed Thursday.
Colbert, who was recently moved from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, was the team’s No. 4 inside linebacker against the Chargers, with Tyrel Dodson sidelined by a concussion.
Inside linebackers coach Joe Barry said Colbert’s move to linebacker made sense because he “has great athleticism. He was always on the bigger side of safeties [at 6-2, 218 pounds]. We felt with his skill set and physicality that if he has any future in the National Football League, it was going to be at linebacker.”
Barry said moving a player to a new position is difficult during the season, and “if he does end up being an NFL linebacker, that will happen in the offseason. That’s an OTA [process].”
But Barry said Colbert has “made great strides” in his six weeks practicing at linebacker.
▪ Dolphins special teams coach Craig Aukerman said he doesn’t know if kicker Jason Sanders will play this season. He sustained a hip injury in preseason; ESPN reported he would miss four to five weeks, but that timetable proved ambitious. The Dolphins have not opened his 21-day practice window.
“We want what’s best for the player,” Aukerman said. “He’s working his tail off to get back.”
▪ The Dolphins experimented with Juju Brents at nickel cornerback for three snaps against the Chargers, but Weaver said he’s better suited to play outside cornerback. Miami has three nickel cornerbacks on injured reserve (Kaher Kohou, Artie Burns and Jason Marshall Jr.); only Marshall is able or eligible to return this season.
The Dolphins have been using safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at nickel corner on early downs but prefer to play him at safety on third downs. So who is the second-best nickel corner on the 53-man roster?
Weaver said safety Elijah Campbell “is the next guy that comes to mind,” but he sustained a quadriceps injury at practice last week and hasn’t practiced since. Weaver said Melifonwu and Trader can play nickel corner, and “Jack Jones has done it a little bit, but that adds a lot to his plate and wouldn’t be fair to him.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
