MIAMI GARDENS — It was the first training camp practice open to fans, and first one for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa since signing his big contract extension.
You’d think that meant Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was going to let Tagovailoa air it out for a fireworks display, but it was actually a run-heavy day of work.
That much was fitting on a sweltering Sunday morning in which running back Jeff Wilson Jr. wore the orange jersey as the previous practice’s player of the day.
Wilson put on another fine performance Sunday, taking several handoffs and pitches for sizeable gains.
The physical runner is benefitting from shedding some pounds in the offseason. He’s running more freely, which should help him get to the outside in Miami’s wide-zone run scheme.
With Sunday’s session being the first of camp open to fans, Tagovailoa, officially signing his contract extension Sunday morning after agreeing to terms Friday, greeted the Dolphins faithful by taking the microphone for a few words. Among his comments: “Show me the money!”
It’s also customary for rookies to uplift the crowd before drills begin. Wide receivers Malik Washington and Je’Quan Burton did their part, with Washington somersaulting.
More observations
A highlight throw from Tagovailoa came when he found wide receiver Braylon Sanders in the back corner of the end zone. Sanders skied for the catch over cornerback Kader Kohou. …
Tagovailoa was intercepted at one point in red-zone drills, having a pass tipped near the line of scrimmage by defensive tackle Zach Sieler and then intercepted by safety Jevon Holland. …
Other Dolphins turnovers defensively were garnered by outside linebacker Grayson Murphy, picking up a fumbled exchange and getting multiple sacks. Defensive tackle Isaiah Mack came up with an interception that ricocheted off receiver Je’Quan Burton on a bobble. Cornerback Ethan Bonner picked up a backward pass from backup quarterback Skylar Thompson that was low to the running back. …
Tagovailoa showed some agility, escaping pressure in the red zone and rolling right to find an open Jaylen Waddle in the flat for a touchdown. He also had a pair of the flip shovel passes to running back De’Von Achane, one possibly a no-look. …
Tagovailoa tried to go deep a couple of times in 11-on-11. One, going to Waddle, was broken up by defensive back Elijah Campbell. Holland was on coverage for an incomplete deep pass to Achane. …
A 1-on-1 red-zone period was highlighted by the Jalen Ramsey-Waddle matchup. Ramsey got the better of his counterpart the first time, but Waddle won the pairing, 2-1, with touchdowns the following two instances, including one where he left Ramsey behind him, biting the wrong way. …
Backup quarterback Mike White found tight end Tanner Conner wide open for a touchdown in the red zone. …
Rookie edge rusher Chop Robinson had a sack early in 11-on-11. He also beat tackle Kion Smith in a lineman 1-on-1. He exploded with a great first step off the line later, but it was a run play and he didn’t seal the edge. Robinson got around fellow rookie Patrick Paul a couple of times for pressures. …
Eleven-on-11 drills started with Wilson Jr. breaking off a nice run up the middle. Running back Raheem Mostert later went for a long gain. The run-heavy period also saw rookie Jaylen Wright break off a big one. …
Tight end Jonnu Smith was seen going off for a nice run to the outside, coming around for a handoff in the red zone. …
Veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell had a good-looking tackle for loss. He and linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. made back-to-back stops at one point. Another case of penetration against a run came from fellow newcomer linebacker Jordyn Brooks. …
When linemen did 1-on-1s, defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand was seen bulldozing guard/center Liam Eichenberg and shoving him down. …
Undrafted rookie cornerback Storm Duck had a good pass breakup in the 1-on-1 setting. …
Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill received an apparent maintenance day. Although he was seen, he did not participate. Cornerback Cam Smith was seen walking off the practice field and into team facilities.
Stock up
Jeff Wilson Jr. boosted his stock, now stringing together a couple of strong performances. He looks more nimble running at his new weight, which will work well in McDaniel’s outside-zone scheme, while he hopefully maintains his physicality.
Stock down
Rookie second-round tackle Patrick Paul has struggled at times early in camp, and at one point Sunday, fellow rookie, Chop Robison, got around him easily on back-to-back team reps. Paul is in a position where it’s a learning year for him without the expectations of starting, as Miami has a set tackle duo of Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson, and it was known Paul would be a bit of a project starting off.
This story will be updated.
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