New Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips addresses concussion issue, future, more

A six-pack of notes on Miami Dolphins rookies, who convene for a rookie minicamp beginning on Friday:

▪ CBS-4’s Kim Bokamper was praising the skill set of former Miami Hurricanes and new Dolphins defensive lineman/linebacker Jaelan Phillips when he stopped and mentioned the elephant in the room: his concussions at UCLA.

As Bokamper creatively phrased it, “it’s like walking into a grocery store and saying I want a good cantaloupe. Let me take the one with the three bruises on it instead of that one that’s nice and clean. That’s my only concern — is there a lingering effect of concussions that may affect his longevity with the Dolphins?”

(Bokamper, on that Dolphins post-draft TV special, indicated he was fine with the pick, praising Phillips’ “motor, athletic ability, good hands... He has all the skills you need if he can stay healthy.”)

ESPN’s Louis Riddick said Phillips, who went 18th overall, would have been a top-10 pick if not for the injury history. But the concussions are the only real concern, because his wrist injury at UCLA occurred not in a game or practice, but when he was struck by a car while riding a moped in Southern California and needed three screws to be surgically inserted into his wrist.

So was he a “risk” in the draft?

Phillips says no, and he cites the fact he didn’t miss any games in 2020. He had no concussions practicing or playing in 2020.

“The proof is in the play,” he said. “I think my play on the field obviously showed. I didn’t miss a snap. I didn’t miss a game. I didn’t miss a workout. I didn’t miss anything [at UM].

“If you watched pro day, you saw the wrist is still working. And, obviously, I’m healthy, so I don’t think it’s a risk at all. We play a dangerous and violent game, and obviously, people get hurt. But I wouldn’t be here today if I was a risk. I think that I’m a guy who does all the right things, does all the extra things to make sure my body is on point, and I truly believe if you take care of your body, your body will take care of you. So that’s kind of how I’ve been living for the last couple of years.”

On the concussion issue, Phillips said: “I had two concussions while I was at UCLA. I play football; it’s a physical sport, so ask anybody in the NFL and I guarantee they’ve had some concussions in their time, so it’s nothing to be worried about.

“Obviously the team was comfortable with my medical history. Just addressing it, I looked at it like I had nothing to hide. I just was forthcoming with everything, and I just really let them get to know me as a person so that they could be extremely comfortable with the situation.”

Phillips offers this scouting report about what the Dolphins are getting: “The main thing is the motor I play with. I play with my hair on fire, a chip on my shoulder. I am really tenacious. I feel I’m very versatile.”

▪ Phillips, gregarious and upbeat, is an easy young man to root for.

On his journey — from retiring from football at UCLA to restarting his career at UM and becoming a first-round pick — Phillips said: “All I can say about that is perseverance. There were good days, there were bad days; but at the end of the day, I kept my faith, I stayed humble and I worked hard and I had great people around me to support me and carry me through this process.

“It’s been surreal. These last three years of my life, so much has changed and I’m just so blessed to be in this position that I am right now and so thankful for everybody who’s helped me along the way. I’m just so excited to be back in Miami, back in the 305.

“I never made it out to a Dolphins game, but I’ve said it before in a Tweet: ‘Los Angeles made me, but Miami saved me.’ And I owe a lot to this city and I’m so excited to be able to come back and be able to play here for as long as I can. It’s an amazing feeling.”

▪ According to CBS-4’s Mike Cugno, Phillips’ father drove from South Florida to Southern California with most of Phillips’ belongings just before the draft, only to find out that he won’t be moving, after all. They will hire a moving company to send his possessions back to South Florida.

▪ One thing Phillips has had to address was whether his interest in music distracts him from football. (There’s no indication that it does.)

“Music isn’t a distraction, by any means,” Phillips said. “Obviously, I love music, but I love football more. I think you can see it. Just take a look at the before and after pics from when I came into Miami, and I think that’s all the answers you need. I don’t plan on making any songs or anything like that. I’m all in. I’m coming in to play football and I’m excited to get into the facilities and work my butt off.”

Phillips’ mother was a cellist, his father was a trumpet player and his grandfather, Jon Robertson, is an acclaimed conductor and dean of the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton.

For Phillips, one of the appeals of transferring to UM was being able to attend classes at the Frost School of Music.

▪ Second-round pick Liam Eichenberg played much of the FSU game last season with one of his eyes shut from an injury, as we explained here. So the possibility of shifting from left to right tackle isn’t daunting.

If he’s asked to do that (which is expected), “I have the work ethic, I have the attitude and the technique for it,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to it wherever they need me. Wherever the team needs me, I’ll figure it out.”

Here’s his scouting report of himself: “I think I’m very efficient with my footwork in the run game and then in pass pro, I think I have violent hands and I’m also very good at vertical setting. I think I bring a lot to this organization.”

▪ How did new tight end Hunter Long figure out how to solve a Rubik’s Cube in 47 seconds?

“I started solving the Rubik’s Cube my freshman year in college,” he said. “I was just bored one day and ordered one. It kind of became a thing I did in my free time sitting at my desk or in bed, and I got all right at it. It’s a little nerve-wracking solving on live TV. I didn’t want to mess up, but it went well.”

And what’s the deal with his other hobby — building computers?

“I built my first computer when I was 13 and have built a couple since,” he said. “It’s a hobby of mine and I graduated with a computer science degree from BC, so it’s kind of a big part of my life.”

NEWS NOTE

The Dolphins, as expected, signed four undrafted free agents: cornerback Jaytlin Askew, defensive tackle Jerome Johnson, guard Robert Jones and fullback Carl Tucker. Miami also signed its two seventh-rounder picks: offensive tackle Larnel Coleman and running back Gerrid Doaks.