We’ve finally made it! We’ve reached the effective end of the NFL’s dead period, as a number of teams have their rookies reporting to training camp this week. The rest are soon to follow, and veterans will be making their return to camp shortly after that. Football is officially back, and with it, so are training camp battles!
For the Miami Dolphins, the most intriguing training camp battle is going to be between the team’s outside linebackers, according to CBS Sports’ writer Cody Benjamin. Benjamin point to the health concerns at the position as a primary reason for the intrigue behind this battle, saying:
It’s unclear if Chubb, the former Pro Bowler, will be ready to start 2024 after suffering a torn ACL late last season. Robinson brings a first-round pedigree as an explosive depth piece, while Barrett could be best-suited sliding into a rotational role after once thriving as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ top edge presence.
As Benjamin points out, Bradley Chubb is coming off a knee injury and may not be ready for the start of the season. What Benjamin fails to point out is that opposite Chubb, Jaelan Phillips is facing a very similar set of circumstances. Both players are in the middle of their rehab processes, and at least one Miami Dolphins beat writer believes that one – or both – should be put on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start the season.
That would effectively mean that this training camp battle would be over before it starts, as Chop Robinson and Shaquil Barrett would become the only options for the Dolphins to start the season. The battle would certainly get interesting once Chubb and Phillips returned from the PUP list in that scenario. Either way, whether they get placed on the PUP list or not, this should be a battle to keep an eye on for Dolphins fans during the season.