Breaking Down the Highlights and Lowlights of the Dolphins Joint Practice vs. Washington

ASHBURN, Va. — The theme of the day for the Miami Dolphins throughout their joint practice with the Washington Commanders easily could be summarized by two talking points you've heard all throughout the offseason.

This team is young. And this roster is thin. Both elements reared their head against the Commanders in Ashburn on Wednesday. That's the bad news for Miami. The good news for Miami is that the team's primary objective appeared to deliver. Jeff Hafley, in the opening press conference ahead of the practice, stated that he wasn't interested in drawing up a bunch of pressure winners. He wanted to throw his guys into the pool and see who could swim.

"The stuff that's really important for me today is to see who can get off blocks, who can cover somebody, who can play base football with really good fundamental and technique so we can evaluate and see where we're at," Hafley said. "I mean, if we scheme up a blitz and we got a guy coming through off the edge, I don't know what that does for us as far as evaluation goes. So, it's going to be more base defense, base offense. Let's play with fundamentals and technique. Let the guys calm down and then see what we got."

So the question begs to be asked. What do the Dolphins got? Here are some player takeaways from Miami's joint practice with the Commanders.

Three Strong Dolphins Performances

Rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas: Douglas had several explosive plays in the passing game across the 1 on 1, 7 on 7, and team periods of the practice. He had a tight, contested catch in the middle of the field in the final period — a "need a touchdown" possession that started on the plus side of the field with less than a minute left. The catch ultimately was squandered, as Miami's offense incurred a penalty and the period (and practice) ended. But nevertheless, Douglas continues to pick up steam as a perimeter weapon for Miami's offense and he was at the center of several big plays today.

Edge defender Chop Robinson: With no Laremy Tunsil holding down the fort at left tackle for Washington, Robinson was able to get some pressure and, potentially, some sacks. We didn't see the team go full-on live with the tackling, but Robinson was able to log his fair share of wins against Josh Conerly Jr. (a former first-round tackle), and the skill players charged with blocking on the edge. For a high-stakes third season, I thought Chop parlayed his strong start in Miami with a nice performance Wednesday. That said, Conerly got his wins, too.

Rookie guard Kadyn Proctor: I thought Proctor's first rep of one-on-ones was his worst rep of the day: an inside counter by Javon Kinlaw that saw the veteran defensive tackle run straight through the inside half. He bounced back on his next rep to set hands, clamp and steer the rush around the outside arc. At that point, he anchored with ease. Into the team periods, Proctor felt like an effective presence on the inside.

Honorable mention: The Dolphins run defense was largely effective against Washington. The leakiness we saw at times in the secondary was often offset when Washington tried to run the football. Kenneth Grant had a nice rep deconstructing a block and pawing the running back at the line of scrimmage. Jacob Rodriguez was a ball magnet. And Kyle Louis was the product of several explosive fits off the back side.

Two Disappointing Dolphins Developments

Wide receiver Malik Washington: Washington had a nice return in the special teams program, appearing to chunk an explosive return up the right sideline that drew excitement from special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. But as a receiver, he's had better days. Amik Robertson plastered Washington on a deep target outside the numbers in that final offensive "need a touchdown" period, the ball falling harmlessly incomplete with little separation. Then, in an earlier team period on the far field, Washington was targeted by Malik Willis on a short out/stick route and got beaten back to the ball by CB Mike Sainristil on an interception. Sainristil squatted and drove on the ball, which was thrown to Washington's inside shoulder by Malik Willis in an effort to squeeze the ball in. An ambitious decision, but a more aggressive attack on the ball could have saved the turnover.

Miami's secondary: In a practice where Jeff Hafley said "we're going to play base...then see what we got," you shouldn't be surprised to hear that the corners caught some work from Washington's wide receivers. Chris Johnson was absent for most of the session. JuJu Brents was already down coming into the day. And safety Dante Trader Jr. didn't work, either. The end result was a tough one-on-one period to open practice. And then, later, some big pockets of space to work for Jayden Daniels on the back end, especially when the Washington quarterback moved the pocket.

Honorable mention: The offense as a whole looked inconsistent today. The point of attack was hit or miss at times in the run game, with the Commanders fast to flood downhill, too. We got to see some more of Malik Willis' legs against some of Washington's pressure looks as a result. But both Willis and Quinn Ewers were the subject of a number of plays under duress, including what would have been several sacks.

The Best Dolphins Moment

The highlight for Miami in this practice came on their final play. Daniels went high and to the back of the end zone on a target on fourth down in the red zone, seeking wide receiver Luke McCaffrey for a score. Rookie safety Michael Taaffe elevated and tipped the ball out of bounds for an incompletion, holding the Commanders from a score in their final offensive possession.

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