What the box score won’t tell you about a Dolphins rookie whose impact has helped transform Miami’s defense

Which Dolphins rookie is performing best in their current role?

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer
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The Miami Dolphins‘ 2025 rookie draft class is pouring in snaps for this year’s football team. With five games remaining on the schedule, rookie players have logged in excess of over 2,000 snaps from scrimmage. Including special teams, that number is pushing 2,500. WIth that much workload for rookie players, in many cases out of necessity, the Dolphins should feel plenty of optimism about the future with this group.

Who has been moving the needle the most through the first 12 games of the season? The splits of one particular rookie on the field tells a major story that the stat sheet will not.

Dolphins rookie defensive tackle Jordan Phillips has quickly become a major run-game anchor

Sep 14, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (94) looks on before a game against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium. Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Jordan Phillips, a fifth-round rookie defensive tackle out of Maryland, has played 321 defensive snaps thus far this season. Upon a first look at the stat sheet, Phillips appears to be a rather unassuming player. He’s posted 25 tackles with one tackle for loss and 1 quarterback hit — while being credited with just four quarterback pressures. But the performance of Miami’s run defense with and without Phillips on the field as a whole tells a very different story on this rookie’s impact on the field.

Phillips, who is a 21 year old rookie who left Maryland as a redshirt sophomore last winter, is an exceptional gap control player. He’s a two-gapping stalwart who eats double teams while illustrating the ability to keep his linebackers clean in their fits. But don’t take my word for it, just look at Miami’s defensive performance this season stopping the run when Phillips is on and off the field.

For the season, the Dolphins are allowing 4.4 yards per carry on 209 rushes with Phillips on the field. With Phillips off the field, Miami is conceding 5.5 yards per carry on 135 rushes. If you feel that 4.4 yards per carry isn’t a strong number, you’d be right — but remember that the Dolphins’ defense has enjoyed a midseason renaissance amid their defensive personnel changes this offseason.

Miami Dolphins’ 2025 rookie snap leaders (offense and defense)

  • OG Jonah Savaiinaea – 696 snaps
  • DT Kenneth Grant – 390 snaps
  • DT Jordan Phillips – 321 snaps
  • SAF Dante Trader Jr. – 285 snaps

From Week 6 onward, Miami’s yards per carry with fifth-round rookie Jordan Phillips on the field has dipped to just 3.7 yards per carry on 118 carries. Without Phillips? It’s still a hefty 4.9 yards per carry on 70 rushes. Since Week 8? 3.3 yards per rush (77 rushes) with Phillips on the field versus 5.3 yards per rush (53 rushes) without Phillips on the field.

It’s not a perfect science. Personnel packages, formations, and game situations all impact these figures. A four-yard run on first and 10 is not the same as an four-yard run on third and two. Yet the team’s defensive defensive success rate against the run is nearly 10% higher (67.6% versus 58.3%) since Week 8 with Phillips on the field. Miami’s yards before contact per rush is more than a yard and a quarter higher without Phillips on the field defending the run.

The tape affirms what the numbers say, as well. The former competitive power-lifter and wrestler who wasn’t even old enough to drink on draft night is an absolute brick house who should, realistically, spend the next several seasons building his passing down abilities on top of what is already a tremendous foundation as a run defender.

Until Phillips gets more juice and presence on passing downs, he’ll likely continue to fly under the radar. It will be easy to point to that lack of disruption against the pass and dismiss his presence given how important rushing the passer is in today’s game. But remember how young he is. Consider how good he already is in gap control situations. And understand that there’s a role for these kinds of players on every roster in the NFL.

Miami appears to have nailed an outstanding base defense contributor in Jordan Phillips. If his pass-rush presence expands in the next few seasons, they could have one of the best steals of the draft on their hands. For now, the Dolphins should be plenty happy with what he’s bringing to the table. He’s quickly become the best run defending defensive tackle on the team.

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