Inside

Players must be up to speed to satisfy Gase

Linebacker Stephone Anthony ready to compete.

DAVIE — The simplest rule under Miami Dolphins coach Adam Gase is there are no handouts.

It especially applies to rookies who are thinking of receiving playing time. With Gase at the helm, nothing comes easy.

“Number one, everything in this league is earned,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. “You’ve got to earn it. You’ve got to go out there and do it. Coach Gase is a believer in working. You guys know him. He’s a grinder. He came up a unique, hard, long way and he believes that everyone should go that route. We’re expanding both their roles and figuring out what they do well.”

The Dolphins are hosting 21 rookies during their offseason minicamp and organized team activities, including first-round draft pick Minkah Fitzpatrick, second-round pick Mike Gesicki and third-rounder Jerome Baker.

Gase said all could have early impacts but nothing will be given to them. The coaching staff has attempted to make offseason workouts as close to regular-season activity as possible.

“We’re trying to put that pressure on them now so they get used to it,” Gase said.

So far, the rookies have responded. Only eight members of the class were drafted, with the rest being undrafted free agents. Among those competing for early roles are tight end Durham Smythe, running back Kalen Ballage and cornerback Cornell Armstrong.

“This rookie class has done good job of trying to catch up as fast as they can,” Gase said. “Just really use their speed and what they know to their advantage.”

Loggains said he has seen progress from Smythe and Gesicki. Both have quickly picked up the offensive system. “That’s a process in itself, especially when you get two new, young guys, but they’ve taken [to] the stuff very quickly,” Loggains said.

“They’re both really intelligent guys. They work at it. So they’re coming along the way we want to. We’re just going to keep doing stuff with those guys, especially Mike. … We’ve got to find out exactly what he can and can’t do and what he can and can’t handle early. As the season goes and the offseason goes and training camp, his package will expand and his routes will expand as we find out what he can and can’t do.”

Gesicki said the information has been provided at a rapid rate but feels he should be comfortable by the time training camp opens next month.

“I think the good thing is being able to have these OTAs and this time period now, that way when training camp comes around, you get to go through it a second time,” Gesicki said.

Ballage will likely enter training camp as the No. 3 running back behind Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore.

“I feel like I’ve always been a playmaker,” Ballage said. “Those things come into my mind automatically. I definitely want to be a guy that stands out.”

Added Loggains, “When he walks through the door, you draw them up like that. He’s big, he’s good in protection, can catch the ball, can be a matchup issue in the passing game.”

Defensively, Fitzpatrick and Baker have made impressions. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke said several undrafted players have also impressed.

“We’ve had a couple of years in a row now where we’re getting the right type of guys that are putting the work in,” Burke said. “So I have no complaints with any of those guys, the work ethic, and what they’re trying to do out there. Again, sort of the nature of a rookie, they’re going to have some plays and they’re going to have some flubs and we’ve got to work through those.”

JOHN MCCALL/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Dolphins rookie linebacker Jerome Baker, a third-round draft selection, has made an impression early.