Dolphins Notebook: Rowe on Pitts, Ryan Reflects on Flo, Trade Update
One of the plays that stood out in the Miami Dolphins joint practice with/against the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday came late during a two-minute period matching the Atlanta offense against the Miami defense.
Veteran quarterback Matt Ryan threw a 15-yard pass toward the back of the end zone intended for Atlanta's prized rookie first-round pick Kyle Pitts, who appeared ready to come down with the catch for a touchdown.
But safety Eric Rowe knocked the ball away at the last second to force the incompletion.
It was one of the many battles the two would have on this day, and Rowe came away impressed with the Falcons tight end, a player who was mentioned as a possibility for the Dolphins in the 2021 NFL draft until they traded out of the third spot to move down to 12th and eventually back up to sixth.
“Going in, the only thing I knew is he was a high draft pick and that he was like a receiver," Rowe said. "After today, it showed what people had been saying. He’s got good movement. Obviously he’s still learning, but he’s a good player.
“You can see the potential. The way he moves. I know he’s still just a rookie. But you can see when someone has talent.”
Rowe and Pitts will see each other again Thursday and in the regular season as well, with Atlanta scheduled to come to Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 24.
It's the kind of matchup that Rowe cherishes.
He said earlier this year he's already looking forward to his rematch against Raiders tight end Darren Waller, who had over 100 receiving yards last December against the Dolphins despite good coverage by Rowe, when Miami travels to Las Vegas on Sept. 26.
Rowe is going to present a similar type of challenge as Waller, based on what we saw Wednesday.
“It was a good work day,” Rowe said. "It’s good to see a tight end who moves like a receiver. I feel like that’s good for me to see. A lot of tight ends, they are evolving into that in the league and it’s great to get practice against them.”
RYAN REFLECTIONS OF FLORES
While watching the Falcons at practice, it was impossible not to wonder for a second whether Matt Ryan still would be with the Dolphins had they selected him first overall in the 2008 NFL draft instead of going with Jake Long, who appeared headed for a Hall of Fame career until he was sidetracked by injuries.
Ryan is heading into the 14th NFL season and he's old enough to have been teammates at Boston College with Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.
When Flores was a senior at BC in 2003, Ryan was a redshirt freshman.
The two texted recently ahead of the joint practices this week.
"(Flores) said, 'I know you've seen everything, so I put in some new stuff for you,'" Ryan said after practice Wednesday, per the Falcons website. "I asked him not to treat me like he did on the 2003 scout team at B.C. They had a few different things today.
"Brian was kicking my ass when I was on scout team. He was a good player back then. As soon as he went to New England as a scout, with how professional he always was – he's quiet, a hard worker and a good teammate. He was good to me as a freshman coming in. I'm happy for him. He has worked hard to get to this position and deserves everything that comes his way."
LITTLE TRADE UPDATE
The day after the Dolphins acquired tackle Greg Little from Carolina, Panthers GM Scott Fitterer met with the media to address various topics related to his team.
One of those topics was the Little trade.
"I think it's good for Greg," Fitterer said, per SI Fan Nation sister site All Panthers. "We got something in return. (Dolphins GM) Chris Grier is a good friend of mine and I've been talking to him on and off for probably the last month and a half, two months about several different things. They had some injuries, they called yesterday and it all happened fairly quickly. I felt the time was right. I knew where Greg stood on our team. He'll have a great opportunity in Miami and we wish him well."
Little, wearing 75, took part in practice for the Dolphins on Wednesday on a limited basis, but did get some snaps with the second-team offense in a late two-minute period.
