Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Wiltz working way up depth chart at corner
DAVIE — Jomal Wiltz announced his presence by stepping in front of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s first pass of the Miami Dolphins’ organized team activities on Tuesday, intercepting the quarterback’s check-down throw to his slot receiver.
For the 90 minutes that followed, the 5-foot-10 cornerback wearing No. 33 kept reminding the quarterbacks to throw elsewhere by consistently knocking down most of the passes thrown to receivers he was covering during the Dolphins’ red-zone and goal-line sessions.
It was the type of dominant practice showing we expect from a Pro Bowl talent such as Xavien Howard, but it was coming from a player viewed a training camp body — until now.
“It was a good day. Definitely better than yesterday,” Wiltz said at the conclusion of practice. “That’s the main thing they stress in this building. Just get better the next day.”
As nice as it was to be part of the New England Patriots’ practice squad the past two years, Wiltz aspires for more. That is why this 24 year old jumped at the opportunity to join Brian Flores, his former Patriots defensive play-caller, who was hired as Miami’s head coach after the season.
Wiltz, a Houston native who spent two seasons as a starter at Iowa State with 90 tackles and two interceptions, has apparently made the most of this opportunity. He says he is spending this week working with the starting defenders.
“I think I have a great opportunity. I’m coming here putting in the work, putting in the hours, grinding and putting my best foot forward and let that handle the situation for me,” said Wiltz, whose immediate goal is to make it to an NFL team’s 53-man regular-season roster for the first time. “It’s not the size of the dog, it’s the bite. I got a big heart. I’ve been small all my life, so I have to push through.”
It appears Wiltz is in the mix with Eric Rowe, another former Patriots player the Dolphins added as a free agent this offseason. Bobby McCain, who has primarily served as a nickel cornerback the past four years, and Torry McTyer, who started four games last season, join Howard and the Dolphins safeties in Miami’s new-look secondary.
Cordrea Tankersley might also enter the mix when he’s finished rehabbing the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered last November. Tankersley might begin the season on physically unable to perform list because ACL injuries typically take 9-12 months to rehab.
“There is a lot of time here for guys to improve, get better [and] learn the system,” Flores said last week. “We’ve yet to play a game. We’ve yet to put on pads. We’re so early in the process that to kind of make an evaluation, you’re just kind of speaking into the air. We’re not there yet to make true evaluations.”
What benefits Wiltz is he seemingly has the skill-set to play on the boundary and has the lateral quickness to move inside as a nickel cornerback.
He also has a better grasp of Flores’ defense than every defensive back other than Rowe, because of his experiences with it the previous two seasons. Wiltz said he’s embraced playing a leadership role.
“We’re working on everybody being on the same page,” said Wiltz, who spent the past two seasons getting Tom Brady and the Patriots’ first-team offense ready for each week’s opponent. “I’m just here working, grinding each and every day, not worried about [the future] too much. What happens, happens.”
“It’s not the size of the dog, it’s the bite. I got a big heart. I’ve been small all my life, so I have to push through.”
—Jomal Wiltz