Thursday Notebook: DB Workouts, the Book on Book, Howard's Pro Bowl, More
Tuesday usually is the day when teams conduct tryouts, but the Miami nonetheless took a look at three players Thursday, all of them defensive backs.
The team worked out cornerbacks Isaiah Johnson and Donnie Lewis, as well as safety Delano Hill. Of the three, according to longtime NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.
Hill has the most NFL experience of the three, having played 42 games with six starts with the Seattle Seahawks from 2017-2020.
EICHENBERG WITH THE BOOK ON BOOK
If any Dolphins player is familiar with quarterback Ian Book, who is expected to start for the Saints on Monday night after both Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, it's rookie tackle Liam Eichenberg, who played with Book at Notre Dame.
"I’m very excited for him," Eichenberg said. "I wish him the best of luck, but I’m kind of focused on their defense right now. I’m looking forward to seeing him and I hope everything goes well for him and he stays healthy, but I’m just focused on the Saints defense right now.
“Obviously I didn’t play wide receiver but I know that he throws a very good ball. It’s a tight spiral. He’s a pretty accurate quarterback. You know what you’re going to get with him. He’s a pretty consistent guy, so it’ll be good to see him out there on the field.”
Eichenberg was asked whether he could share any insight on Book with his Dolphins defensive teammates.
“Yeah, I mean, if guys have any questions," Eichenberg said. "But at the same time, he was normally behind me. As you guys know in college, he was good at escaping the pocket. He’s definitely a guy that you need to keep in the pocket.”
BYRON BACKING HOWARD
Xavien Howard did not speak with the media Thursday, so we didn't get his reaction to being named to the Pro Bowl, but his cornerback partner Byron Jones shared his thoughts on the recognition.
"It’s a blessing to see a guy like that perform at the highest level that you see on a day-in and day-out basis," Jones said. "He’s a ball hawk. He’s a smart player. He’s grown in so many ways since I’ve been here. There’s no one more deserving to get that award than him on the defensive side. He’s always making an impact. We’re all happy for him and of course he wants more so he’s still pushing the rest of the year to get more.”
Jones is in his second season with the Dolphins after coming over from the Dallas Cowboys, where he played both cornerback and safety.
Having played both spots made Jones somebody who could appreciate what Nik Needham did against the New York Jets when he began practicing at free safety after Jevon Holland was placed on the COVID-19 list and ended up playing every snap in the 31-24 victory.
Jones was asked point blank whether that's something he could have done.
“Truthfully, not in this system," Jones said. "The amount of responsibility that these safeties have is just tremendous. The fact that Nik was able to do that within a five-day turnaround, that’s incredible. I’d like to consider myself a smart guy but I don’t know half their calls. I just look back at the safety, they give me my call and I say, ‘Yes, thank you.’ The fact that Nik was able to do that in four to six days is really impressive.”
DUKE'S BIG DAY
Duke Johnson returned to full-time status on an NFL roster this week when the Dolphins signed him Monday, but he said that was never a concern of his despite playing 91 games his first six NFL seasons.
"After the game, I was really just overwhelmed with the way the game went and just being happy with the way I played and we winning the game and still moving forward," he said. "I really wasn’t too concerned with the active roster because that’s not up to me. I did what I had to do and that’s not my call. I was just kind of focusing on what I can focus on and control what I can control. That’s one of the things that I can’t, so I didn’t really put too much thought into it. I just let it happen as it happened.”
Johnson did call getting signed to the 53-man roster "a great feeling," but he never looked at being forced to come up from the practice as a sign of disrespect.
“I don’t take everything as disrespect," Johnson said. "There’s 32 teams and none of them felt at the time that I was ready. I didn’t take it as disrespect. I just took it as get better and move forward.”
