MIAMI GARDENS — It’s no secret the kind of player the Miami Dolphins are getting back on the practice field now that Jaelan Phillips was taken off the physically unable to perform list Monday.

But when coach Mike McDaniel made the announcement and talked about Phillips wanting to be great, it wasn’t just talk. To say Phillips was just beginning to get in a groove as a pro barely does it justice.

More: What Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel: Jaelan Phillips is being activated

Phillips entered Week 7 last season without a sack, having missed three of the first six games.

And then?

Phillips went five straight games with a sack, even including the ominous Black Friday game at the New York Jets in which he tore his Achilles.

“Right when he got injured, he was kind of — there was momentum swinging in a positive regard towards his conviction of how to play his position,” McDaniel said. “He was feeling a different level of confidence. And then for a guy that has ambitions as he does, he wants to be great in the worst way. It is a long vision challenge to attack this.”

All injuries aren’t the same, but Phillips, Miami’s first-round pick in 2021, is returning to practice 8 1/2 months after the fact.

McDaniel admitted his biggest fear over Phillips’ rehab program.

“I thought he was going to be a number one violator of secretly overdoing what he was supposed to do,” McDaniel said.

Instead, both Phillips and fellow edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who tore his ACL, have remained on course in rehab.

Monday’s news raised hopes that perhaps — perhaps — Phillips might even be able to suit up in the Sept. 8 opener against visiting Jacksonville.

“We’re all relying upon him coming back and him being able to first find his footing from a health perspective and then be able to contribute to this team,” McDaniel said. “I've been very proud of how he's attacked that. And while doing so, doing things that leaders do, which is you feel his presence as a teammate.”

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 was at his best just before injury