With the 2023 NFL season fast approaching, the South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at 10 storylines to watch for in a 10-part series ahead of the Miami Dolphins’ first day of training camp, which is set for Wednesday.
It would seem to be an easy decision for Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. A few key players have years-long injury history, so it would make sense to rest them during training camp practices in hopes of preserving their health for late in the season. To enact a “load management” program, to borrow a phrase from the NBA, for training camp.
Here’s another reason to take that approach: training camp has the highest rate of injury for NFL players, according to league data. After a three-day acclimation period, the league says hamstring and groin injuries spike in days 5-10, resulting in a median seven-day absence.
But load management isn’t an easy decision.
“You’re weighing a lot of stuff,” McDaniel said last season. “The ultimate thing is what’s the best thing for the team, which means what’s the best thing for that player? How much work do they need?”
McDaniel managed practice time for a few veterans during the regular season last year, including Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead and defensive end Melvin Ingram.
“It’s something I’m used to doing with guys that are in their second or third contracts,” McDaniel said, “because they know how to get their job done and what it takes if you miss a Wednesday, or you miss a Friday, or whatever you miss.”
Perhaps the load management list will expand to include a few younger players this year, starting with training camp. The idea would be preserving their health for December and January.
You’ll recall some of last season’s most notable absences.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed the last three games, including the 34-31 wild-card round playoff loss at Buffalo, due to a concussion. Armstead missed three of the last seven games due to various injuries.
Running back Raheem Mostert (thumb) missed the wild-card game.
Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard, a 30-year-old seven-year veteran, battled groin and hamstring injuries last season, missing the New England game in Week 17 as well as the New York Jets game in Week 5.
On and on the list goes, and such injuries are a major reason the Dolphins lost six of their final seven games.
Those player absences beg the question of what the Dolphins can do to stave off a similar late-season fate this year.
Armstead, a 10-year veteran who turns 32 years old ahead of camp, and Mostert, a 31-year-old eight-year veteran, could probably use the training camp and preseason rest.
Armstead’s version of load management last season meant for much of the second half of the season he’d practice Wednesday, be off on Thursday and practice Friday, which usually is largely a special teams practice. Armstead had toe, pectoral, knee and Achilles injuries.
“He’s a guy that has shown time and again in his career that he’s been able to put together a really good game by piecing together practice,” McDaniel said.
Mostert, who has been plagued by injuries in his career, held up well physically for the most part, playing in 16 games last season, and missing the Houston game (knee) as well as the wild-card game. But he must be monitored carefully.
Mostert finished 2017 on injured reserve due to a knee injury sustained in early November, finished 2018 on injured reserve due to a broken arm sustained in late November, was placed on injured reserve twice in 2020 due to high ankle sprains (October and December), and only played one game in 2021 due to a knee injury.
Tagovailoa, whose main injury issue last season was concussions, won’t absorb hits or engage in much contact during training camp and joint practices, but things are different in preseason games. And even though starters usually play four, possibly five quarters during preseason, which makes it tough to reduce Tagovailoa’s snaps, giving him less contact and more snaps to backup quarterbacks Mike White and Skylar Thompson is probably a good idea.
Tagovailoa did offseason work, including jiu-jitsu training and core/abdominal work, to help ensure his chances for good health.
“He’s in a great spot,” McDaniel said in June. “I’m really encouraged about the work that he’s doing for preventative injuries with his core and his neck training.”
But regardless of offseason work, limiting training camp snaps for some players could be considered a logical conclusion to data collection.
The NFL mandates all players wear tracking devices that measure their preseason workload. The data is collected and analyzed by the league. The Dolphins, who are heavily into analytics and player measurables, also closely monitor such things on their own.
Newly-acquired linebacker David Long Jr., a 27-year-old four-year veteran, could probably benefit from load management in training camp. He’s missed six games each of the past two seasons due to hamstring injuries. On the other hand, considering it’s his first year with the Dolphins he might benefit more from a normal workload.
Deciding who to rest and who to play fully in training camp, joint practices and preseason games is a tough decision for Dolphins coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, medical staff and front office members.
Several key contributors are coming off injury-shortened seasons (right tackle Austin Jackson, safety Brandon Jones and cornerback Nik Needham, to name a few). However, they’ll likely need all the snaps they can reasonably handle to get back into top-notch form.
It’s reasonable to think the Dolphins might engage load management for 30-somethings such as Armstead and Mostert. But it’ll be interesting to see whether the practice extends to younger players beginning in training camp.
As the Dolphins confirmed last season, it’s tough to win games when your best players are sidelined.
Previously addressed
Which areas will we see tangible improvement from second-year Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel?
What will Vic Fangio’s Dolphins defense do better than Josh Boyer or Brian Flores’?
What constitutes a successful season for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa?
Can Dolphins’ offense find ways to succeed aside from big plays by Tyreek Hill?
Will Dolphins’ Austin Jackson and Liam Eichenberg prove they’re starting-caliber O-linemen?
What should we expect from Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Dolphins’ pass rush this season?