Mostert, Ingold back from knee surgery, vow to play in opener; Howard used to ‘disrespect’
Raheem Mostert and fullback Alec Ingold — two key parts of the Dolphins’ revamped running game — participated in a practice on Wednesday for the first time since sustaining major knee injuries last season. And both made this very clear: They’ll be ready for the regular season opener Sept. 11 at home against New England.
Mostert “chipped off” knee cartilage in the 49ers’ regular-season opener last season, according to San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan.
“Coming back from a major knee injury, it’s on your mind,” Mostert said Wednesday after the Dolphins’ first practice of training camp. “Just being back out there felt great. I was out there a couple reps here and there. We’re doing a progression thing. We have a game plan. I’m going to be ready Week 1. It felt great.”
Mostert, Chase Edmonds, Sony Michel and Myles Gaskin will compete for carries in a crowded running back room. Edmonds and Mostert figure to end up battling for the starting job.
“Hopefully I’m able to expand my role like I’ve always wanted to do,” Mostert said.
Ingold said because Mostert has experience in coach Mike McDaniel’s offensive system, “Raheem is the dad of the room, making sure everybody knows why we’re doing what we’re doing. Chase is coming in; he’s the bell cow. You see all the shiftiness on the field that you get excited for. Sony is a Super Bowl
champ.”
Mostert said he’s happy to take up receiver Tyreek Hill on his offer to determine the fastest Dolphin.
“He’s always chirping and talking about he’s the fastest,” Mostert said. “When that time comes, we’ll definitely have a race — me, him, Jaylen Waddle, anybody else that wants to.”
Ingold, meantime, participated in parts of practice — but not 11on-11 work — in his first practice since a week 10 ACL injury when he played for the Raiders last season.
“I wouldn’t say we’re at 100 percent yet, but we can get there,” he said, adding he has no doubt he will be ready for the regular-season opener.
McDaniel’s offense uses a fullback at times, and Ingold enjoys being a member of a dying breed.
“You got to be proud of it. Anytime you strap up as a fullback, everyone on the field knows it’s this set of plays. There’s not a whole lot of tricks up anybody’s sleeve. It changes the dynamic of a football game. Fans know, people in the press box know, football players know it’s going to be physical.”
Also returning from injury: Left tackle Terron Armstead, who had a minor offseason knee procedure that sidelined him during the offseason program.
“It felt great, being back out there playing football,” he said. “Excitement was probably at an all time high.”
Armstead has never played a full 16-game season in his nine years in the NFL, all with the New Orleans Saints. He played 10, 10, 15, 14 and 8 in the past five seasons.
Asked if he followed
through on his plans to connect Tua Tagovailoa with his former Saints teammate Drew Brees, Armstead said: “I’m going to do that as I walk off the field, text him … There’s no added pressure on Tua. He has more weapons than he ever has. Protection has to be better and it will.”
HOWARD’S RESPONSE
Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, on not being ranked among the top 10 cornerbacks in the annual Madden video game ratings:
“I’m used to the disrespect. Adds a little more motor to it. They always disrespect players from Miami. I don’t know what it is. We have to do the unthinkable to get recognition. It adds more spice to the motor.”
The Dolphins signed cornerback Tino Ellis, who went undrafted out of Maryland in 2020. He played for the Saints in 2020 and Dolphins in 2021 but hasn’t appeared in a regular-season game. He spent the spring playing for the USFL’s team in Michigan.
KUECHENBERG IN PLAY FOR HALL
Former Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg,a
six-time Pro Bowler and a key part of the undefeated 1972 team’s offensive line, was named one of 12 finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame induction, the result of an election by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee and its Coach/ Contributor Committee.
The other 11 finalists announced: Ken Anderson, Maxie Baughan, Randy Gradishar, Chuck Howley, Cecil Isbell, Joe Klecko, Eddie Meador, Tommy Nobis, Ken Riley, Sterling Sharpe and Everson Walls.
Each senior finalist played his last game in professional football no later than the 1996 season. Kuechenberg died in 2019 at age 71.
The 12-person Seniors Committee will meet
Aug. 16, and each committee member will discuss one finalist in detail. The committee’s final vote will send three of the 12 to the full 49person selection committee for consideration at its annual meeting in early 2023; each of those three could be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at that meeting.
Expansion of the seniors pool to three for possible election to the Hall was approved earlier this year for the Classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025.