Dolphins Camp 2022 Day 2: Practice Observations
The Miami Dolphins’ second practice of training camp was longer than the first, and closed the session with a long sequence of 11-on-11 plays, the last one featuring a diving pass breakup by newly signed cornerback Tino Ellis on a deep down the right sideline from Skylar Thompson intended for Trent Sherfield.
Let’s dive into the practice recap:
ATTENDANCE REPORT
Along with the two players who began training camp on injury lists, there were four players not spotted at practice Thursday.
One was defensive lineman Adam Butler, who also missed practice Wednesday, and the others were veteran tackle Terron Armstead, running back Raheem Mostert and guard/center Michael Deiter.
Armstead and Mostert were kept out for load management reasons, while Deiter and Butler are dealing with undisclosed injuries.
PRACTICE TOP PERFORMERS
— Cornerback Trill Williams, who had the biggest play of practice Wednesday with a pick-six, had another really good play when he got his arm over the shoulder of Sherfield on a pass from Teddy Bridgewater.
— Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle wore the orange jersey as the best practice player for Wednesday and had himself another impressive outing. He caught six passes in team drills and another passing period where five receivers went out against nine defenders. Waddle's first catch was an impressive grab of a long pass from Bridgewater where he outjumped rookie corner Kader Kohou.
-- Running back Chase Edmonds looked fast and decisive on his running plays and then made a nice catch of a Bridgewater pass over the middle that appeared to be thrown a bit behind him.
QB WATCH
Because it’s training camp, we need to talk about the quarterback performances every practice.
— Through the first set of team drill (when he had only one pass attempt) and that 6-on-9 passing period, Tua Tagovailoa was having himself a really good practice, but things went south a bit during that final, extended set of 11-on-11 plays. Tagovailoa ended up 5-for-9 in 11-on-11 drills with a long completion of about 45 yards to Tyreek Hill, though Hill had to slow down to catch the underthrown ball. Worse, there were two dropped interceptions against Tua, one by Brandon Jones and one by Nik Needham. On the Needham play, the cornerback was playing outside and undercut Preston Williams on a deep slant. Tua's best pass came on a deep slant to rookie Braylon Sanders for about a 20-yard gain.
— Bridgewater was 9-for-12 in 11-on-11 drills, though that included some dump-offs and a lot of short throws. His most impressive pass actually was incomplete, as Williams dropped a perfectly thrown pass deep down the right sideline.
— Rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson had a rough day, particularly when it comes to the center-quarterback exchanges. Thompson bobbled a snap three times, though without replay it was difficult to gauge who was at fault on those plays. He ended up attempting only two passes in team drills, completing a check-down to running back Gerrid Doaks before the long incompletion on the last play.
OTHER PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS
-- Not a great practice for tackle Greg Little, who committed a false start and later held Jaelan Phillips after Phillips got around him on a pass rush.
-- Hill got himself wide open across the middle on the first play of team drills, but later dropped a short throw from Tua when he was wide open in the flat — the throw was a bit off mark but still should have been caught.
-- Hill and Williams weren't the only ones who dropped passes because it also happened with rookie running back Za'Quandre White.
-- Rookie fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma again showed his great body control, twisting to make a catch on a deep sideline pass from Tua in the 6-on-9 ... until Jevon Holland came over to knock the ball away.
-- Along with Phillips, rookie free agent Deandre Johnson also got around the tackle on a pass rush.
-- Second-year tight end Hunter Long had a couple of catch after a very quiet first day.
