Rosen earns reps with 1st-team line

TAMPA — Josh Rosen finally got the call-up to the Miami Dolphins’ first team, spending his first training camp practice working exclusively as a starter.

The quarterback for whom Miami traded a 2019 second-round and 2020 sixth-round pick was handed the first-team offensive line, receivers and tailback on the second day of joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the 2018 first-round pick held his own.

Outside of two passes thrown right to Buccaneers defenders that were dropped, Rosen’s performance was decent. He didn’t have any plays that stood out, but neither did Ryan Fitzpatrick, who barely got time to work behind the Dolphins’ second-team offensive line.

Rosen received the promotion a day after getting criticized for bad body language because coach Brian Flores said he wanted to see how Rosen handled Todd Bowles’ multi-look defense and whether Rosen would make appropriate pre-snap calls against the Buccaneers defense.

“I wanted to see him against that group and some of the exotic looks that [Bowles’] first team is giving us,” Flores said. “We wanted Josh to see it today and that’s really what that was. … I thought he had a good day and he’s headed in the right direction.”

Stock up

Kalen Ballage delivered big plays for the second straight day of Miami and Tampa Bay’s joint practices, showing Dolphins coaches that he could carry Miami’s offense if needed to do so.

Ballage scored on a 35-yard run to the right side of Miami’s offensive line. The Buccaneers didn’t even touch him before he reached the end zone.

Ballage also caught a screen pass during 11-on-11s that could have turned into a score. With Kenyan Drake sidelined by what appears to be a right foot injury the Dolphins will need to see Ballage, a 2018 fourth-round pick, carry the backfield until Drake’s healthy enough to return.

Stock down

Charles Harris and Tank Carradine spent most of training camp working with the starting defense as Miami’s first-team defensive ends, but they’ve both been demoted to the second-team unit as Nate Orchard and Jonathan Ledbetter, an undrafted rookie from Georgia, have leapfrogged them on the depth chart the past two days.

The Dolphins defense could be working on a specific package this week, but having a former first-round pick such as Harris replaced by an unheralded, undrafted player can’t be ideal. Miami’s coaches must of hoped that Harris and Carradine would take a step forward against the Buccaneers’ second-team offensive line.

Observations

Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans beat Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard for a 50-yard touchdown pass on a deep throw from quarterback Jameis Winston. Howard clearly read the play wrong and allowed Evans to get behind him.

Minkah Fitzpatrick jumped in front of a Winston pass, pulling down an interception during 11-on-11. Fitzpatrick’s day was filled with highs and lows, primarily because of his struggles covering O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, the Buccaneers’ two elite tight ends.

LB Nick Deluca pulled down an interception, and delivered a sack during 11-on-11 work.

WR Trent Irwin caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick, which followed an interception Fitzpatrick threw that was brought down by Buccaneers cornerback Mazzi Williams.

Laremy Tunsil sat out the final 11-on-11 sessions watching from the sideline as Jayrd Jones-Smith and Jordan Mills handled the left tackle duties.

CB Chris Lammons, a former Plantation High standout, began Wednesday’s practice working with the first-team defense at cornerback. It was the first day Lammons has worked with the starting unit on the boundary.

Injury update

Drake, who left practice early on Tuesday because of an injury, was spotted wearing a walking boot on his right foot. Flores said that the injury could sideline Drake for a few days, if not weeks, but wasn’t major.