Over the years, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has gone all out to revamp his team’s linebacker group. Among the moves that he has completed to retool the position, Grier took a chance on Jaelan Phillips.

The Dolphins selected Phillips in the opening round of the 2021 NFL Draft, which came as Miami was in dire need of reinforcements at the linebacker position. Phillips did not go on to emerge as a regular starter over his debut campaign in Miami, although he did feature in all 17 regular season games and tallied 42 total tackles to go along with 16 quarterback hits.

Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead has been a close observer of the team’s standout talents on defense since arriving in the organization in March. He sees much potential in several such players on the team, including Phillips.

“Huge fan of ‘JP’ (Jaelan Phillips) too,” Armstead said during a press conference this past week. “The things that he’s done especially in the last two weeks, you can see the game starting to slow down for him. Athletically, he’s a freak.

“He’s made in a lab, so just to watch his progression, I’m excited to see him work and continue to evolve as a pass rusher, learning more, seeing things better. We’ve got some guys, man, that can get after the passer.”

As Armstead touched on, Phillips’ prowess as a stout pass rusher was on display in the 2021 campaign, as he logged 8.5 sacks, which ranked second on the team.

The Dolphins are set to kick off their season with a home clash against the New England Patriots on Sept. 11.