Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
McMillan finally returns; DL Taylor cut
Linebacker is looking forward to challenge of earning playing time
Miami Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan, who missed all of training camp and the preseason for an undisclosed reason, participated in Monday’s practice — with the season opener less than a week away.
Whether McMillan’s absence was for an undisclosed injury or to preserve him for a possible trade, the third-year player’s return comes at a time when he can provide talented depth at a thinnedout position on the roster.
“I went out there [Monday] and felt really good. I’m trying to lock back in, and get back to how I was,” McMillan said.
McMillan will compete for playing time behind Jerome Baker, his college teammate, and newcomer Sam Eguavoen, the former Canadian Football League standout who unseated McMillan in the starting lineup.
McMillan is not considered an ideal fit in coach Brian Flores’ new defensive scheme, where his shortcomings as a pass defender in space could be a liability.
But McMillan is looking forward to the challenge.
“You can be put in at any position, and the coaches expect for there not to be any drop-off,” McMillan said. “Wherever you’re being plugged in at, you have to be productive.”
The greater liability, however, could be Miami’s depth at linebacker following Sunday’s trade of Kiko Alonso, who last season led the Dolphins with 125 tackles, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and six pass deflections.
Behind Baker, Eguavoen and McMillan, the Dolphins have newcomers Vince Biegel (acquired from the New Orleans Saints for Alonso), third-year player Deon Lacey and former University of Miami linebacker Trent Harris.
Biegel will wear Alonso’s old jersey No. 47, a number he happened to wear while playing at the University of Wisconsin.
“I know this is Kiko’s old number and we kind of got swapped, but this is a number I really like and wanted to go with,” Biegel said.
Rookie outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
Purge continues
The Dolphins released thirdyear defensive tackle Vincent Taylor on Monday, furthering their roster purge after the recent trades of Alonso, Laremy Tunsil, Kenny Stills and the release of longtime long snapper John Denney.
Taylor, a 6-3, 311-pound bulldozing tackle, was not considered an ideal scheme fit for Flores’ defense as he was being coached to change his stance at the line of scrimmage.
“Sometimes on this level, when you’re asked to change that stance, that’s when it gets a little tough because something got him here,” Dolphins defensive line coach Marion Hobby recently said.
“It’s just a little bit different because we fitted the line of scrimmage a little more where Vince has been. His whole life has been a penetrator, hitting gaps. Now, we’re asking him to play through offensive linemen and knock people back.”
Taylor, who had a foot injury last season, had 45 tackles, two sacks and three blocked field goals in 21 career games with the Dolphins after being the team’s sixthround pick in 2017.
The Dolphins also signed defensive tackle John Jenkins, a former third-round pick of the Saints in 2013, and long snapper Taybor Peppers, who has played for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants since 2017.
Practice squad nearly set
Seven of 11 potential members of the practice squad have signed contracts.
Wide receiver Isaiah Ford, quarterback Jake Rudock, cornerback Nik Needham, defensive end Dewayne Hendrix, and Brazilian offensive tackle Durval Quieroz Neto were with the team during the preseason.
Former University of Miami defensive tackle Gerald Willis, who went undrafted, and former Arizona State linebacker Christian Sam, a New England Patriots sixth-round pick last April, are newcomers to the practice squad.
The Dolphins are expected to sign four more players this week.
While NFL practice squads typically hold 10 players, Quieroz’s participation in the International Players Pathway Program cleared the way for the Dolphins to have 11.