Jaelan Phillips: Will He Rebound in 2024?

Photo: USA Today Sports

Do you ever find yourself returning to something, whether it is a bad habit or a past relationship, and you know there are red flags all around you, but you go back to it anyway? If you do, then this is exactly the article for you. Despite the judgment of the hivemind that is football fanatics, I still believe that Jaelan Phillips can and will rebound in the 2024 season. Some may say I am crazy, and there's truth to that, but I can assure you players like Phillips don't grow on trees. If you live in fear of the maybe's and could be's, then fantasy football isn't your game. You need to free your mind from the fear of last season and focus on the potential of the upcoming year. Jaelan Phillips will do this if you take the chance on him. And here's why.

What Happened to Jaelan Phillips in 2023?

To rebound from a season, we must understand why the player didn't produce last season. Footballguys is a glass half-full company, but for the sake of playing devil's advocate, I'll start with the darkest part of this. Jaelan Phillips tore his Achilles last season. No player wishes this on his worst enemy. Achilles injuries are objectively the worst possible injury a player can have, let alone a player who must be explosive with his lower body on every play. Before that, he missed time with various other injuries, including a lumbar and oblique injury early in the 2023 campaign.  This is truly the low point of his young career, filled with lots of potential and promise. A player with multiple injuries like this is enough for people to write him off as nothing more than "injury-prone." But there's more here that we need to identify when breaking down why he can rebound from this.

Why Take a Chance?

So why take a chance on a player like this? Well, an easy place to start looking for that answer is by diving into his stats. Last season, despite the multitude of injuries, he recorded at least half a sack in all but two games he played (eight total games in 2023). In the eight games he played, he recorded 6.5 sacks and 43 total tackles. He was well on his way to career highs in every major category and was separating himself as a focal point of the Dolphins' defense, a defense in desperate need of a breakout star. He had monster games when healthy. His game splits speak for themselves: Week 1, 11 tackles and 0.5 sacks. Week 7, seven tackles and a sack. Week 11, 6 tackles, two sacks, and an interception! I'll spare you from the rest, but they're not far off from this. He's a bonafide star when healthy, and while it may not seem like he will ever be the same, I believe it is too early to think that way.