Jacob Phillips on mend from 'crushing' torn pectoral injury, hopes to leave injuries in past

CLEVELAND — The surgically repaired left pectoral muscle didn't hinder Jacob Phillips as he served dessert, answered questions and posed for pictures Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Ohio.Phillips, a middle linebacker, was devastated when he suffered the season-ending injury Oct. 23 making a tackle in the Browns' 23-20 loss to the Ravens. He's missed significant time with injuries in all three of his seasons, including the first 12 games in 2021 with a torn biceps suffered in training camp.Analysis: Plenty of troubling signs in another troubling loss"It was crushing to hear, obviously second year in a row basically a season-ending injury," the former third-round pick told The Chronicle-Telegram. "And it's just one of those things that you battle through. Hopefully I can get all my injury bugs out while I'm young and just go from there."Phillips had surgery in Los Angeles to repair the torn pec, is out of the sling, rehabbing and returned to Browns headquarters Tuesday. He will stay around the team and attend meetings."Just be a voice to anybody who needs it," he said.Browns 'running out of time' after humbling loss to Dolphins in which they were outcoached and outplayedHe took a break to host an early Thanksgiving for about 70 kids and family members at the Boys & Girls Club on Broadway Avenue. He worked the end of the buffet in the gymnasium with a big smile on his face, chatting with the diners. The event was in partnership with Phillips' God's Warrior Foundation."It's been great. Having a good time, meeting all the kids and trying to inspire them and do what I can," Phillips said. "My foundation is built on trying to inspire and provide for the underserved community, and I feel like that's what Boys & Girls Club also targets."Browns linebacker Jacob Phillips serves dessert Tuesday at a Thanksgiving event at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Ohio.SCOTT PETRAK / CHRONICLEHis favorite part was interacting with the kids, who swarmed him for selfies after dinner and didn't care that he's on injured reserve."Obviously getting to meet an NFL player is big for them, and obviously that's part of the reason that I love having a foundation is because I'm able to make an impact with the giving, but I'm also making an impact with just the inspiration part of it," he said. "So I just want them to learn how to dream big and write down your goals and prepare for the opportunity."Phillips, 23, is a man of deep faith but had dark moments in the immediate aftermath of the injury. He felt something after making a tackle along the sideline but had a job to do, so he returned to the huddle, called the next play and made another tackle."My arm didn't work. Like I couldn't," he said.He exited the game, and the medical staff didn't need long to give a preliminary diagnosis, halting his first full-time opportunity as a starter."It is one of those things that you forget all those things where I said I have people to rely on and my faith and all that stuff," Phillips said. "You are just basically crushed and just every part of you because you know that all the hard work you put into it, all the times that you share in those locker rooms and being on the field. Injuries are in football, they're life-altering in the moment and you just kind of gotta grow from and build on it."The Browns had high hopes for Phillips when he began this season healthy and he split time with starter Anthony Walker Jr. before Walker went down in Week 3 with a season-ending torn quadriceps tendon. Phillips struggled when he took over the starting role but played better in the two games before the injury, making 17 tackles.In 20 career games, including eight starts, he has 88 tackles, five for loss, three sacks and five passes defensed. He was limited to nine games as a rookie by a knee injury.Phillips got past the heartbreak of the latest injury with the help of his parents. They were at the game in Baltimore and flew to Los Angeles with him for the operation. The surgeon said it was a success and he expects to be 100 percent for next season."The healing process has actually been super easy, a lot better comparative to my biceps last year," he said. "Less pain, less time in the sling."It's good to see all my teammates and just be around them and we all share the same goal, and that's to win games. So playing or not, I'm gonna put in whatever I can to help us win."The post Jacob Phillips on mend from 'crushing' torn pectoral injury, hopes to leave injuries in past first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.