Dolphins expect new additions to produce right away
The training camp narrative about the Dolphins, and practically all NFL teams, is that rookies and new veteran additions are going to take awhile to become factors this season.
Because, you know, the pandemic wiped out a bunch of training opportunities.
Well, forget the narrative as it relates to the Dolphins.
If one eliminates the rookies and the new veteran free agents from the equation, the Dolphins might not be able to field a team. The competition coach Brian Flores values wouldn’t determine anything.
So the rookies and other new guys are absolutely a factor.
If you’re wondering who is competing for starting
and key backup spots on this team, you have to include practically everybody.
“I would say it certainly involves the rookies,”
Flores said Tuesday. “I think there are — we brought in some free agents, we brought in some rookies, we have some holdovers from last year, so I think there’s a lot of competition on the team.”
And that competition is playing out throughout the roster.
“O-line, D-line, secondary, receivers, quarterback, running back,” Flores added. “We tried to create a situation where there was competition everywhere.
“I’m anxious to see who rises to the top at all positions. It will be a good [14 practice sessions] here in pads. We feel like we kind of created a situation where there would be a lot of competition.”
Flores was mostly not specific about which players are vying for playing time or starting jobs or roster spots. He left that duty to me.
So pay attention:
After the first couple of days of padded practices, it has become clear the Dolphins are testing and hoping for big things from a long list of new players:
Solomon Kindley, a rookie fourth-round selection, has a chance at significant playing time in 2020 because the kid nicknamed “the big fish” has dived into the battle for the starting right guard spot.
Austin Jackson, a rookie first-round selection, is battling for the starting left tackle job, as expected. But the interesting thing here is he could be leading veteran Julien Davenport in that competition.
And why not?
Davenport continues to be a solid player while Jackson has the tools, albeit not the experience, to be better than that.
The Dolphins also want second-round pick Robert Hunt to make an attempt at winning the starting right tackle job. But somebody forgot to inform Jesse Dation vis, the incumbent right tackle, that he might be cast aside.
So in that battle between Davis and Hunt, the veteran currently seems the more likely player to open the regular season against New England on Sept. 13.
The Dolphins spent more on unrestricted free agents and awarded more guaranteed money to those free agents than any other NFL team. So here’s a big secret: They want those newly minted vets to start, play and contribute a lot.
That’s going to happen immediately with cornerback Byron Jones, the
NFL’s second-highest paid cornerback. That’s going to happen right away with
Kyle Van Noy, who comes from New England with intimate knowledge of a Miami defense that mirrors New England’s.
If those guys don’t start, something went horribly wrong.
Jones is expected to be teamed with former Pro Bowl selection Xavien Howard at cornerback. But Howard, who is on the COVID-19 reserve list, isn’t factoring right now.
That means rookie firstround pick Noah Igbinoghene and a group of other veterans will by vying for playing time if Howard isn’t available.
“There’s a lot of competition at that position with Byron [Jones] to Noah [Igbinoghene] to Nik Needham to Jamal Perry to Tae Hayes to Ken Webster,” Flores said. “There’s a lot of competition. We’re kind of focused on the guys who are here.
“Obviously, Xavien is one of our top players, so we’re hoping to get him back as soon as we can. Yeah, we’re working without ‘X’ right now. When he comes back, that might be a different conversation.”
Igbinoghene doesn’t have the playing experience the others Flores mentioned have. But he wasn’t a firstround pick for nothing, so give him an early nod to play ahead of the others if Howard doesn’t return.
The heightened competijobs
this year has had to be an eye-opener for starters from previous years.
Second-year offensive lineman Michael Deiter started most of 2020 at left guard. He has already lost that starting job to unrestricted free agent addition Ereck Flowers and is mostly competing for a spot as a backup somewhere along the interior of the line.
Linebacker Raekwon McMillan was a secondround pick in 2017, but Miami’s first- and thirdround picks from that draft, also defenders, are not even on the team anymore. McMillan is battling for repetitions as a primarily run-down inside linebacker in a passing league.
And did I mention the Dolphins paid unrestricted free agent Elandon Roberts to fill a similar role? And Roberts is faster?
You know Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Rosen are competing for the starting quarterback job — a competition Fitzpatrick will win to start the regular season at New England. But what about the receivers who will be on the other end of their passes?
The Dolphins receiver corps is not deep. That means one or two players will have a chance to win a job.
The Dolphins already lost Allen Hurns and Albert Wilson to COVID-19 opt outs. It looked strange
Tuesday when second-year player Preston Williams also wasn’t present for the entire practice.
The Dolphins have DeVante Parker, Isaiah Ford and Jakeem Grant as experienced receivers. Everyone else is a question mark of one sort or another.
The Dolphins defensive line has 12 players right now. And one could get into a conversation about who is starting and who isn’t. Stop it.
The Dolphins will play as many guys as deserve action. That will probably mean a lot of Shaq Lawson, Emmanuel Ogbah — both free agent additions — along with Davon Godchaux, Christian Wilkins and rookie Raekwon Davis.
Finally, the running back room should be interesting. It’s fair to believe the Dolphins expect to lean on Jordan Howard, who was signed in free agency, and Matt Breida, who came in a trade from San Francisco.
The leaves room for perhaps one or two (at the outside) more ball carriers. The Dolphins have four candidates in Kalen Ballage, Patrick Laird, Myles Gaskin and Malcolm Perry if the team carries him as a halfback.
But whatever happens among those depth players, it’s clear Howard and Breida are the guys carrying the football and the team’s running game the most.