Happy Saturday fins nation! We have practice today and the defense has continued to dominate, let’s get into it!
To start off practice, Jaelen Phillips got to wear the orange jersey today from forcing his way in the backfield last practice. Some quick news this morning was center Aaron Brewer is back on the field practicing with the team while tackle Austin Jackson and cornerback Cam Smith were not on the field today dealing with injuries. Smith has been limited throughout camp and him missing more time means his chances of making the team are not great.
To start the day, it was 1-on-1’s with Patrick Paul and Bradley Chubb going head-to-head. Chubb did beat Paul twice but once Chop went against Paul, Paul stood his ground. Jaelen Phillips was the top performer in 1-on-1’s which deemed him the best player last practice.
Next, were team drills where Willie Gay Jr was still dominating. Next play Storm Duck made a play on Achane, already, the defense setting the tone. Tua hit both Waddle and Malik Washington on two consecutive throws, this is where we saw Aaron Brewer back in on team drills. Chop got an early sack on Zack Wilson and then Quinn Ewers rolling to his left flings it 40 yards to tight end Tanner Connor. Ewers has been balling through camp and could make a case for himself to be QB2. Jaylen Wright, Mattinson and Ollie Gordon had big play runs and Zack Sieler had a sack on Tua. Mattinson has been an underrated player throughout camp, he has been very impressive and consistent. With a slight scare, Jaelen Phillips walked off the field with a slight limp, but he announced on social media that he is ok and just a bruise.
The pressure today on this offense was vibrant from the defensive line. Kenneth Grant, Chop, Chubb, Sieler, and Zeek Biggers were making plays in the backfield today Tyrel Dodson got a sack on Tua today and my mvp of training camp, Willie Gay Jr, was making plays all day long. Zack Wilson was making plays today. Each practice he seems to be gaining confidence and becoming more consistent. The quarterback group made plays today, Tua led a scoring drive in a hurry up practice setting that ended up with a Sanders made field goal.
After practice, Jaylen Waddle spoke with the media about how the assistant coaches “have been holding players accountable”. The word accountability has been mentioned a lot throughout camp coming from players, something they were not held to last year, and something that can change this team’s identity in 2025. Minkah Fitzpatrick mentioned that “being a leader is a process”, “everything I do is at a high level”. With the third receiver position being up for grabs, Malik Washington stated, “I need a mindset that I own that number three receiver spot”. With the first preseason game coming in eight days, the Dolphins will have a good chance to see who can be trusted to be on the field with Hill and Waddle.
That is it for Saturday practice! The Dolphins will be back tomorrow morning for practice and we will once again see who belongs with the first team offense.
Photo Credits: Miami Dolphins, NFL, Yahoo Sports, Joe Schad, Travis Wingfield
