Alain Poupart - SI Fan Nation All Dolphins
Dolphins-Eagles First Joint Practice Observations
The Miami Dolphins began their second set of joint practices Wednesday morning when they welcomed the Philadelphia Eagles at the Baptist Health Training Complex.
As they had done in other practices with fans in attendance, the Dolphins had some of their rookies go in front of the stands before practice to get everybody pumped up, and this time it was Blaise Andries, Skylar Thompson, Elijah Hamilton, Erik Ezukanma, Braylon Sanders and Kellen Diesch who did the honors, with Andries again smashing a can of energy drink against his head as he had done earlier in camp.
As it the case practice every practice in South Florida, it was hot and humid on this day and tempers did flare up a couple of times. Overall, even though no official score was kept, it sure looked like the Dolphins won this practice.
With that, let's dive into the practice report:
ATTENDANCE REPORT
The big news in terms of player participation continues to be the injury that has sidelined wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Wearing a sleeve on his right leg and tape around his right foot, Waddle sure looked like he wanted to give it a go on this day and came out for the stretching/warmup period (like he did Tuesday), but in the end it was another missed practice.
Head coach Mike McDaniel has addressed the issue before, saying the Dolphins were just being very careful and calling Waddle day-to-day, though it's now been almost two weeks since Waddle has practiced.
Another issue to monitor involves the status of linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who missed a second consecutive practice with an undisclosed issue. The Dolphins working out veteran edge defender Trey Flowers certainly adds an element of mystery to this situation.
Along with Waddle and Van Ginkel, the others missing from practice were TE Tanner Conner, CB Keion Crossen, LB Brennan Scarlett and LB Calvin Munson.
Cornerback Nik Needham, who sustained a finger/hand injury against the Raiders on Saturday, left practice accompanied by a trainer toward the end of the session. Cornerback Xavien Howard did not participate in team drills.
PRACTICE TOP PERFORMERS
— As he was in the joint practices against Tampa Bay, Hill was the dominant player in the first practice against the Eagles. And it started in one-on-one drills when elite cornerback Darius Slay Jr. just couldn't keep up with him (though in fairness the second rep between the two took a very long time to develop). Hill continued in 11-on-11 work, catching three passes for 65 yards, including one where he maintained great concentration after a Tua pass went through the hands of Slay.
— Running back Salvon Ahmed got some significant work in team periods and had perhaps the best running play of the game, along with about a 15-yard pick-up on a dump-off. His day wasn't perfect, though, as he was bowled over on a blitz, but this still might have been his best showing of training camp.
— The Dolphins passing game had a very good outing against the Eagles, and several different players contributed. And quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was at the center of it all with what should be described as a very efficient practice. By our unofficial stats, Tua was 14-for-20 for 155 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in team periods, with a passer rating of 92.7. One of the incompletions was a spike and another was a throw-away after the Eagles got pressure on him. His best throw of the day came in 1-on-1 work when he perfectly dropped a long pass to wide receiver River Cracraft.
QB WATCH
Because it’s training camp, we need to talk about the quarterback performances every practice.
— Teddy Bridgewater had a really pretty throw when he floated a pass downfield over a defender for a 15-yard gain to tight end Durham Smythe, but it was not a good practice statistically. Bridgewater completed only 2 of 7 passes in team drills, with the other completion going to rookie Erik Ezukanma. In Bridgewater's defense, two back-to-back incompletions late in the practice came with Eagles defenders draped all over him.
— For those thinking about the idea of Skylar Thompson moving up the depth chart, this practice should have served as another reminder that he's clearly third in the pecking order. Thompson took four snaps in team work on this day: two were running plays, he was sacked on another, and the other ended with the Eagles being flagged for offside and the Dolphins for offensive holding. So for a second consecutive practice, he did not attempt one pass in a team period.
OTHER PRACTICE OBSERVATIONS
-- The practice included two different periods of one-on-one work between offensive and defensive linemen, the second taking place while each team was doing a 7-on-7 period.
-- Highlights of the first 1-on-1 period included rookie Erik Ezukanma making a quick double move to shake an Eagles defender; Xavien Howard blanketing A.J. Brown to force an incompletion; three straight reps where Emmanuel Ogbah, Christian Wilkins and Jaelan Phillips were stonewalled by Eagles offensive linemen; Lynn Bowden Jr. struggling to create separation; rookie cornerback Kader Kohou doing some holding in coverage.
-- In 7-on-7 work, Clayton Fejedelem and Quincy Wilson each came up with an interception; guard Robert Jones stood up Marlon Tuipulotu nicely, prompting the Eagles defensive lineman to throw his hands in frustration after the play; Bridgewater threw a dart up the middle to tight end Cethan Carter; and safety Eric Rowe broke up a pass intended for TE Grant Calcaterra.
-- The closest we got to a fight during practice came during 11-on-11s when Lane Johnson threw Jaelan Phillips while blocking him, which drew the ire of Dolphins defensive players. That came not long after Christian Wilkins was seen yapping (yeah, shocking, right?) at the Eagles offensive line and there was a huddle of some sort (maybe involving officials preaching calm) on the far field.
-- Mike Gesicki had an eventful day — and that was AFTER the report that the Dolphins have brought up his name in trade discussions. First, he appeared to be in discomfort after making a short catch in a team period and was talking with a trainer before returning to practice. He then made one of his patented one-handed snag on a Tua pass across the middle that was thrown behind him.
-- Raheem Mostert got perhaps his most extensive work in team drills since the start of training camp and looked good running the ball, in addition to catching a pass around his shoestrings.
-- The Dolphins running game had some positive plays, though there was one really bad one when DT Milton Williams met Mostert 3 yards into the backfield.
-- We did not notice a single high shotgun snap by the Dolphins on this day.
-- Solomon Kindley, Robert Hunt and Liam Eichenberg each had a noticeable clearing block on a running play.
-- It was a rough day for Needham, who before he left the field slipped in coverage in the 1-on-1 period and then gave up a long completion to DeVonta Smith in team drills — despite being flagged for defensive pass interference on the play.
-- Veteran tackle Terron Armstead took part in most of the team periods. He was beaten on a pass rush that forced Tua to throw the ball away.
-- Kicker Jason Sanders made a 50-yard field goal to end a two-minute drill.
