Phillips out for season. Fangio discusses Ogbah; Van Ginkel poised to pounce after changes
The Dolphins had assembled one of the NFL’s deepest and most skilled collection of outside linebackers/edge players, and they’ll need that depth after medical tests on Saturday confirmed what was widely expected: Jaelan Phillips’ season is over because of a torn right Achilles’ tendon.
“You don’t necessarily replace Jaelan Phillips, but you have guys fully capable to step up and get his production through different ways,” coach Mike McDaniel said in a Saturday Zoom session with reporters. “We’re fortunate to have some depth.”
Phillips -- who had six sacks in his past five games - sustained the non-contact injury at the start of the fourth quarter Friday when he planted his right foot on the synthetic turf at MetLife Stadium and stumbled moments after the ball was snapped. He feel to the ground, had to be carted off and was on crutches after the game.
Afterward, Phillips wrote on social media: “Absolutely devastated, but I feel strength in knowing that this is all a part of God’s plan, and that I have an incredible team and support system around me. I’ll be back stronger than ever.”
McDaniel said he heard that Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who sustained a torn Achilles’ in the opener this season, was trying to get in contact with Phillips about the injury.
After missing 3 ½ games with injuries earlier this season, Phillips ends his third season with 43 tackles, 6.5 sacks, one interception and seven tackles for loss in eight games. He should be healthy for the 2024 season, the final year of his rookie contract.
The task of replacing one of the defense’s best players will be shared between Andrew Van Ginkel, who had split time between inside and outside linebacker this season, and Emmanuel Ogbah, who has played sparingly under new coordinator Vic Fangio. Either player also can give starting outside linebacker Bradley Chubb a breather on a few plays.
“Those two individuals will have to step up,” McDaniel said of Van Ginkel and Ogbah.
Ogbah, who had 18 combined sacks for the Dolphins in 2020 and 2021, has played only 153 defensive snaps but has been productive, with four sacks (including 1.5 in 14 snaps in Friday’s 34-13 win against the Jets) and a forced fumble and an interception return for a touchdown.
“It’s just staying focused and staying ready; that’s how I’ve been the whole season,” Ogbah said after Friday’s game in New Jersey, now with the expectation of more playing time.
Fangio indicated last week that he has compassion for Ogbah’s situation.
“It’s not easy or not enjoyable,” Fangio said of playing him 3, 6, 0 and 7 snaps in Miami’s previous four games before Friday. “He’s a hell of a guy. He’s been a very productive player in this league. It’s just hard sometimes to get four guys reps at the edge position when it’s mainly been Chubb, Phillips and Van Ginkel” ahead of him.
Ogbah said recently that “when you don’t get to play the game you love, it’s tough.”
Fangio said last month that “we have a lot of confidence in [Ogbah]. When [inside linebacker] David Long is playing better inside, and Van Ginkel is playing well, it makes it hard to get a fourth guy in there” at outside linebacker.
Ogbah played 77, 67 and 56 percent of the Dolphins’ defensive snaps the past three seasons. He’s at 21 percent this season.
He has the highest 2023 base salary on the team at $15 million, with a $17.2 million cap hit, but his $14.9 million salary for next season is entirely non-guaranteed.
As for Van Ginkel, Fangio took a liking to him when he was reviewing the Dolphins’ 2022 game tape and encouraged him to return, but with a somewhat different role. Van Ginkel, who had played outside linebacker exclusively in his first four seasons, has been splitting time between inside and outside linebacker.
Now he will be needed more outside. He has 42 tackles, four sacks, a fumble recovery, four passes defensed and seven tackles for loss while playing 62 percent of Miami’s defensive snaps, compared to 29 percent last year.
After losing Phillips, “it just feels like we lost today because Jaelan is a great player and when someone goes down it hurts you,” Van Ginkel said. “I’ll do my best to help this team and I’ll do whatever it takes.”
A big close to the season could result in a big payday.
Months after settling for a one-year, $2.65 million deal last March, Van Ginkel recently hired agent Drew Rosenhaus, who represents 10 Dolphins.
Rosenhaus has had success extracting lucrative deal from the Dolphins, including Tyreek Hill’s $120 million extension and Ogbah’s $65 million contract.
Van Ginkel, an impending free agent, seemingly has increased his value by learning inside linebacker and by fitting well into Fangio’s defense.
“When they came to me in the offseason to see if I was open to it, that’s one thing I thought of, being able to be versatile and help the team out in whatever way I can,” Van Ginkel said. “And anytime you can get a chance to be on the field, that’s very beneficial.”
He has needed to spend more time preparing for games than most because he’s prepping for two positions.
“I’ve got to look at offensive tackles and how they set and I’ve got to look at how backs are going to protect in protection and then I’ve got to look at different coverages and how we’re trying to cover them,” he said.
“It can be challenging at times. There’s a lot on my plate from a playbook standpoint. But I definitely think I’m capable of it.”
He has moved seamlessly between the two positions during games but said there are clear differences in what’s required.
“Inside, you’re dropping back into more coverage,” he said. “You have to know where certain receivers are aligned and how we’re trying to guard them.
“On the edge, you’re just worried about your one on one matchup and how to beat the tackle or if you’ve got a tight end to you or how to take on certain blocks. Inside you have to be more reactive and see the big picture.”
If Fangio opts to use Van Ginkel only on the edge, then inside linebacker Duke Riley could play bit more to give starter David Long some snaps off; Riley has logged just 83 defensive snaps all season after playing 368 last season.
“David Long will have to step up as well,” McDaniel said Saturday.
To replace Phillips, the Dolphins could promote Cameron Goode to the No. 4 edge job or perhaps add a veteran free agent.
According to a league source, the Dolphins have shown some interest in Eagles former first-round pick Derek Barnett, who was released by Philadelphia on Friday.
He has 21.5 sacks in a seven-year career (73 games) but missed all but one game last season with a torn ACL and appeared in only eight games this season, with just 99 defensive snaps. Like Ogbah and Van Ginkel, Barnett is represented by Rosenhaus.
Former All Pro linebacker Shaq Leonard also is a free agent after being released and the Dolphins have done due diligence on him.
This story was originally published November 25, 2023 at 1:07 PM.
