Flores explains thinking in how Dolphins are using Jaelan Phillips and assesses Tagovailoa
In Jaelan Phillips, the Miami Dolphins procured the player who some believe was the best pass rusher in this past April’s NFL Draft.
The question is how often Miami wants to use him in that role.
Phillips started at linebacker and played 29 of Miami’s 71 defensive snaps in Sunday’s preseason finale against Cincinnati. But instead of rushing the passer on most passing plays, Phillips instead sometimes dropped into coverage, including on one third down completion and another sizable gain by the Bengals.
Phillips was on the side of the field where those two specific completions happened but did not appear primarily responsible. He applied heavy pressure on Brandon Allen, forcing a premature throw, on one of the plays that he rushed the passer.
He lined up on both sides. Sometimes, he had his hand on the ground as a defensive end; other times he was a stand-up linebacker. The Dolphins are calling him a linebacker.
So why have the Dolphins decided to use him in this role instead of merely as a hand-in-the-ground defensive end?
“The way we structure the defense, it’s not a 4-3 where there are just full-time defensive ends on the field all the time,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “We have a little bit more of a hybrid scheme where it could be four down [defensive end]. It could be base. Could be a few different fronts.
“We feel Jaelan can do a few different things, some different things in early downs, and some different things in some obvious passing situations. We wanted to see him in those roles [Sunday]. The goal for him is to play a few different positions. Right now, we’re just checking to see where he’s comfortable and as a staff, we’ll talk about it and review things and see where we want to use him in the regular season.”
Phillips, selected 18th overall in April’s draft, played mostly linebacker at UCLA but was primarily a defensive end in his one season at the University of Miami, finishing with eight sacks in 10 games. He worked a lot this summer on pass coverage skills.
Phillips missed two weeks of camp with a hamstring injury but is healthy now, and linebackers coach Rob Leonard said last week that he needs a lot of snaps in practice.
“It’s pretty obvious he knows how to rush the passer coming from college,” Leonard said. “With him, we talk about patience a lot [against the run]; let the plays come to you that you’re supposed to make. It’s a game of not beating yourself. I told him the other day, ‘if you go out — outside linebacker in the NFL — and just fall on the ground, the ball is going to end up in that general vicinity.’ Those are the plays you’re responsible to make, not plays on the other side of the field or doing something that’s not your job.
“Playing outside backer in this league is very simple to understand, harder to do. Guys are always messing with your eyes, messing with your alignments, trying to slow you down and make you think. The job [for coaches] is keeping things simple so he can play fast.
“Our job with Jaelan is to be very specific on first and second down, we’re doing this. Passing downs we’re doing this.. I talk a lot with him that you’ve got to work hard to be a trusted early down player because of all of the things they try to do to get you to not do your job. It’s a league of not beating yourself.”
Flores addressed other issues in his Monday news conference:
▪ The Dolphins must cut their roster from 80 to 53 by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, and Flores said the team will make “a few” on Monday and the others on Tuesday.
“At some positions, we have to make some tough cuts and some guys we feel are roster players in the National Football League that we have to move on from them,” Flores said. “But it’s hard to let good players go.”
Flores said he’s honest with players in cutting them: “If I feel a guy has a place in this league and is going to play somewhere, I tell him that.”
He tells them “here are some things he needs to improve on. You try to tell them the truth. Most players are receptive to that. Practice squad is part of that conversation as well.”
▪ Asked to assess quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s growth, Flores said he “is much more comfortable with his surroundings here in this area. He has taken a step as far as leadership and working with his teammates to get things right — whether it’s the center on cadence, receivers and routes, ball-handling with the backs…
“He’s asking more questions to us as a coaching staff situationally: ‘Hey, would you take a timeout here?.. Do you get out of bounds here?’ How many yards do you need in a two-minute [drill] to get a field goal? He’s made some very good strides. Still a lot of room for improvement and hopefully he will continue to make improvement.”
▪ How does he handle the Deshaun Watson rumors with his players?
“There’s always rumors,” said Flores, who has declined to say whether the team is pursuing a trade for the disgruntled Houston Texans quarterback. “There’s always speculation. There’s always some form of distractions. We have to block that stuff out and play. I thought they did that [Sunday]. That’s something all players deal with in the National Football League. There’s always some form of speculation or controversy.”
▪ Asked if public opinion is weighed in making decisions on a player who has had off-field issues (Watson wasn’t specifically mentioned), Flores said he considers “fit on a team, overall talent, salary cap.... We have a high standard for the people we have in the organization. I don’t get into last strikes or anything. We want people with high character throughout the building. That’s what we’re looking for.”
▪ Flores, on what his team’s identity will be: “It’s a group that’s tough. [It’s a] team with versatility, or potential to have that versatility. Tough and smart and they compete. They work hard to improve.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 11:21 AM.
