Happy Saturday Dolphins fans! The first public viewing of Miami Dolphins Training Camp is officially over. The next public practice is Monday, July 28th at 9 a.m. There is a lot to review over so lets get started.
Before the players hit the field, Minkah Fitzpatrick signed with well-known agent Drew Rosenhaus and is reportedly seeking a new contract. The Dolphins agreed to terms with free agent veteran cornerback Jack Jones. Jones is back in the AFC East once being with the New England Patriots in 2022 and then signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. As this will be his third team in three years, Jones brings reliable coverage and ball hawk skills. Even though he was signed this morning, he was out there participating in 1-on-1s, alongside some team drills.
As the Dolphins hit the field, De’von Achane wore the highly coveted orange jersey today and they began 1-on-1s with Tarik Black getting past Ethan Bonner with a long completion. A.J. Henning and Andrew Armstrong both had a touchdown, both of which were thrown by Tua Tagovailoa.
Nickel cornerback Kader Kohou then went down with a right leg injury covering the speedy WR, Tyreek Hill. Kohou walked off the field on his own power and his day was done. Undrafted free agent Bj Adams had to be carted off after suffering an injury during team drills.
Team drills then begun where one of the first plays of 11-of-11 was a run stop at the line of scrimmage by inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks. At the beginning of practice, Brooks was a wrecking machine. He was very consistent and was at the line of scrimmage blowing up run plays.
Very early the defense was setting the tone of practice with pass break ups and run stops and made by Jack Jones, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Channing Tindall, and Kenneth Grant. Rookie corner Jason Marshall Jr had a pass break up and then on the next play had a pick 6. Minkah Fitzpatrick had the other interception today also.
Linebacker Willie Gay made a couple of nice plays and Chop Robinson, Zach Sieler, and Kenneth Grant got in the backfield multiple times. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver was on his A-game today, having the defense fierce and moving to the ball with speed. This defense will be a top 8 defense in the league, as long as the pass rush can get to the QB and the secondary stays healthy.
Offensively, second round pick Jonah Savaiinaea and guard James Daniels were seen during blocking drills. Tackle Austin Jackson looked to be in great shape as he was on the field as well. Running back Alexander Mattinson broke a couple of nice runs that gained 10 plus yards. De’von Achane had some nice catches and broke a couple of runs as well. Achane will be a key factor in the passing game this season, and I expect him to have a lot of catches. Rookie QB Quinn Ewers made several beautiful intermediate passes today. Receiver Dee Eskridge was very active in 11-on-11 drills. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill made good chunk plays. One of which was a 60-yard touchdown thrown by Tua to Tyreek. Zach Wilson made good throws outside of the numbers. Starting Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was solid and consistent today with his progressions and throws.
After practice concluded, General Manager Chris Grier wasted no time signing another cornerback. Free agent nickel corner Mike Hilton will be joining the Dolphins. The 5’9 Hilton is an excellent blitzer and coverage corner who is not afraid to tackle. Hilton who last played for the Cincinati Bengals will be joining Anthony Weavers defense.
My top players in today’s practice was Dee Eskridge, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Jordyn Brooks. The person who I think should get the orange jersey next practice is receiver Dee Eskridge.
Photo Credits: NFL, Miami Dolphins, Jordan Schultz, Pro Football Network
