It’s been an interesting opening week of Miami Dolphins training camp, to say the least.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa staged a limited hold-in, then a full hold-in, then got a mammoth four-year, $212 million contract extension with $167 million guaranteed.
Elsewhere, edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah, signed because veteran edge rusher Shaq Barrett retired suddenly, made a splash with his pass rushing presence, the rookies had their moments, and coach Mike McDaniel’s offense showed its trademark big plays throughout the first three practices.
Looking ahead, Sunday is the first practice open to fans. It’s free but a ticket is required.
Before looking too far ahead, let’s look at what we learned during the first week of Dolphins training camp:
It’s one big, happy Dolphins family
Tagovailoa’s contract extension means it’s football season, not business season.
Tagovailoa thanked everyone in a social media video, including general manager Chris Grier, showing there’s no rancor between them.
By the way, Miami’s offense was in high gear on Friday with Tagovailoa at the helm. The highlights were two passes to wide receiver Tyreek Hill, one a well-thrown deep ball to Hill, who beat cornerback Jalen Ramsey by about 15 yards, and the other a laser-guided swing pass to Hill that showed great anticipation considering Hill wasn’t even out of his break.
It’s good to just talk football again.
Dolphins edge rushers off to a respectable start
Ogbah has been harassing quarterbacks throughout the first three practices. He got the coveted orange jersey Thursday, symbolic of being the Player of the Day on Wednesday.
But he’s not alone.
Miami’s pass rush has had its moments, and without much blitzing.
Rookie edge rusher Chop Robinson has displayed the quick first step that scouts raved about before the draft.
And keep an eye on Quinton Bell, the third-year player. He’s flashed during the first week of camp. He could be a surprise performer.
By the way, edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) looks good going through drills. It’s tough to say whether he’s on track to play in the Sept. 8 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But he seems to be ahead of fellow edge rushers Bradley Chubb (knee) and Cameron Goode (knee).
Top draftees have made a good impression
Robinson, the first-round pick from Penn State, left tackle Patrick Paul, the second-round pick from Houston, and running back Jaylen Wright, the fourth-round pick from Tennessee, all had their moments during the first week.
Robinson has applied pressure at times. It hasn’t been steady but he’s made his presence known.
Paul has done some nice pass blocking, including once or twice against Robinson.
Wright has displayed the speed that makes him a perfect fit for this offense.
Interior offensive line fared better than interior defensive line
There’s concern about the interior offensive and defensive lines, and after the first week of camp the interior offensive line is off to the better start.
Among center Aaron Brewer and guards Liam Eichenberg, Robert Jones, Lester Cotton and Jack Driscoll it appears they could have their three starters to open the season. We’ll see what happens in scrimmages and joint practices, though.
Defensively, Zach Sieler is off to a strong start but the other interior defensive lineman, Da’Shawn Hand, Teair Tart, Brandon Pili, Isaiah Mack, among them, have been so-so.
Veteran Calais Campbell, who has played inside and outside, has had his snaps limited.
Dolphins depth looking good early
You’re familiar with the injury issues the Dolphins have had the past two seasons. It’s their depth that’s allowed them to advance to the playoffs when they sustain injuries to players such as left tackle Terron Armstead, Chubb and Phillips, former cornerback Xavien Howard, ex-linebacker Jerome Baker and others.
Miami’s depth looks good once again.
Among those who have flashed are cornerback Cam Smith, linebacker Channing Tindall, Bell, Ogbah, Robinson, Wright, Paul, Cotton, safety Nik Needham, quarterback Mike White, and wide receiver River Cracraft.
That’s not to say any of them have consistently played at a starting-caliber level, but each has had his moments and done well enough to make you think they could possibly be trusted to start, say, two or three consecutive games.
McDaniel taking cautious approach with vets and key players, as usual
It’s unclear how many older veterans and key players fans will see Sunday, the first practice open to the public.
It seems highly likely that Tagovailoa, Hill and Waddle will participate on a fairly full-time basis.
But McDaniel, as is his trend, has been careful to rest veterans and key players such as Armstead, Hill, Campbell, Ramsey, safety Jordan Poyer and others.
The plan is two-fold — keep unnecessary wear and tear off their bodies, and do everything possible to ensure they’ll be healthy for the December-January stretch run.
Still, participation should be fairly high among key players. The Dolphins are aware fans want to see the stars.
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