A former five-star recruit and first-round pick, Jaelan Phillips has fought through repeated major injuries to remain one of the league's most talented pass rushers.
Jaelan Phillips arrived in the NFL as a Miami first-round pick with elite physical tools, flashing star potential as a rookie before a string of severe lower-body injuries interrupted his rise. He has repeatedly returned from surgery to produce at a high level when healthy. Now with Carolina, he brings a rare combination of size, speed and pass-rush instincts off the edge.
Path to the league
Phillips was a highly touted recruit who began his college career at UCLA before transferring to Miami, where concussion concerns nearly ended his playing days before he returned to form as one of the sport's top pass rushers. The Miami Dolphins drafted him 18th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Phillips broke out as a rookie with 8.5 sacks despite starting only five games, then continued to develop as a disruptive force off the edge for Miami. His combination of length, bend and closing speed made him one of the more feared young rushers in the AFC East before injuries slowed his availability.
2025 season recap
Phillips played through most of 2025 with the Dolphins before being dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles in a November trade. Across his time with both teams he totaled 53 tackles, 5.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hits in 17 regular-season games, showing he could still produce after two straight seasons cut short by Achilles and knee injuries.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jaelan Phillips
- Pro Football Reference: Jaelan Phillips
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
9 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | dolphins | 9 | 25 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | eagles | 8 | 28 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2025 | 2025 Totals | 17 | 53 | 29 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2024 | dolphins | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | dolphins | 8 | 43 | 28 | 6.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | dolphins | 17 | 61 | 37 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | dolphins | 17 | 42 | 23 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Miami
- Hometown
- Redlands, CA, USA
- Age
- 27
- Status
- active
Latest news about Jaelan Phillips
All news →Panthers' Nic Scourton Carted Off With Knee Injury on Camp's Opening Day
The second-year edge rusher was in tears as he left a wet practice field Thursday, with head coach Dave Canales confirming an MRI is next.
Eagles Sign AJ Epenesa, Months After the Browns Walked Away From a Deal
Philadelphia adds the veteran edge rusher to its rotation after Cleveland declined to finalize an agreed-upon contract following his physical in March.
