MIAMI GARDENS — There will be some inside Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday surprised to see Miami Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips back so soon.

Jaelan Phillips won’t be one of them.

Phillips said Thursday that his mindset from the start was that he’d be back for the start of the 2024 season despite tearing his Achilles on Black Friday against the New York Jets.

“I didn’t think that I was going to be out until halfway through the season,” he said. “I kind of figured — the doctors told me that I could potentially be back earlier so that was kind of always my mindset, that I was going to be back for Week 1.”

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Phillips has said he no longer feels lingering effects from the injury and is confident he can push off with the explosion required of an edge rusher.

That still leaves the Dolphins in a cautious position. There’s little time separating the opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Game 2, at home on Thursday night, Sept. 12, against the Buffalo Bills. To prepare, Phillips was rested in Wednesday's practice but a full participant Thursday. Coach Mike McDaniel said the Dolphins will budget Phillips’ game snaps.

“You got to manage it in some regard,” McDaniel said.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jaelan Phillips: Mindset was always to be back Week 1