Kelly: Five Observations From Dolphins Minicamp Day 3

See What Stood Out During The Final Practice of the Dolphins' Three-Day Minicamp

My favorite practices are the ones that get a little spicy.

I don’t need a fight with swinging helmets, but my antennas perk up when a defensive lineman and offensive lineman get in each other’s face and start shoving one another.

That feels like football, and the Miami Dolphins delivered a final minicamp practice worthy of applause courtesy of the skirmish Liam Eichenberg and Raekwon Davis had that lasted two rounds (two snaps).

Or was it the interceptions Xavien Howard pulled down on a Tua Tagovailoa pass during the second snap of 7-on-7 drills?

Or when rookie safety Bennett Williams gave receiver River Cracraft a love tap on a slant from Tagovailoa that got Williams kicked off the field by Coach Mike McDaniel?

Here are my five observations from minicamp’s final day.

IS RAEKWON DAVIS BLOSSOMING?

According to Dolphins coaches, this summer has been the best Davis has looked and played. He’s in the best shape of his professional career, has worked every day of the offseason program, and has been impactful on a daily basis. 

I’ve seen Davis deliver a would-be sack every day the media has attended but Thursday. What does that mean? He’s clearly motivated because he’s in a contract year, but Davis is adamant about proving he deserves some third-down snaps. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s presence provides Davis a blank slate, and he seems to be seizing on those opportunities.

FIVE-INTERCEPTION DAY SOILS OFFENSE

The Dolphins offense has had pretty clean practices, typically producing one turnover per day with the exception of Thursday’s session. During practice Thursday, the quarterbacks were gifting-wrapping passes to the defense. Howard jumped a slant on Tua Tagovailoa’s second throw of 7-on-7's. Justin Bethel pulled down an interception on a Mike White pass that possibly would have been run back for a pick-six. Verone McKinley III pulled in an Tagovailoa interception off a pass that might have been a throw-away play (possible sack). And Bryce Thompson pulled down two interceptions, picking off Skylar Thompson and White.

BRYCE THOMPSON MIGHT BE A KEEPER

Speaking of Thompson, who signed with Miami after playing for the XFL Seattle Sea Dragons this spring, he seems to be more than a camp body. Thompson, who spent part of 2021 and 2022 with the New Orleans Saints, didn’t just pull down two interceptions Thursday. He’s been one of the top turnover producers during the practices the media has watched. By my count Thompson has got at least four interceptions. The former University of Tennessee DB ended his first season in the XFL with 34 tackles, 0.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

Realistically, Thompson is competing for a practice squad spot until he’s a special teams beast, which is the best way to make it onto the 53-man roster when you are a back of the depth chart player.

CHOSEN FRONT-RUNNER FOR RECEIVER NO. 3

With Tyreek Hill shelved and Jaylen Waddle being paced for most of training camp, Robbie Chosen got a decent amount of work with Tagovailoa even though all the receivers rotated in and out of the units, working with every quarterback.

But Chosen, who has started 86 NFL games, clearly was one of the top offensive weapons this summer. A perfect example of what he potentially brings to the Dolphins was illustrated on what he did after catching an out from Mike White during 7-on-7s. Chosen turns and outruns the entire defense for what could have been a touchdown galloping down the sideline. Nobody was close to him, so the play wouldn’t and shouldn’t have been whistled dead. Chosen was moving so fast it seemed like he had Tyreek Hill-level speed.

When asked about Chosen, Hill pointed out Chosen’s height allows him to run routes that he openly admitted he and Jaylen Waddle can’t, or shouldn't run.

DEPTH ON DEFENSE IS AN ISSUE

I’ve been screaming from the mountain top that Miami’s defensive depth makes me a little queasy, and when I asked defensive coordinator Vic Fangio about his impressions of his defensive talent he flat-out acknowledged that Miami has a top-heavy roster, and expressed concern about depth at certain positions.

He didn’t specify those positions, but based on what I’ve seen from the practices the media has attended the Dolphins need a backup nose tackle, a veteran inside linebacker, and another safety, just in case Brandon Jones, DeShon Elliott and Trill Williams suffer a medical setback.

Jevon Holland spent all minicamp plays with special-teamers and practice squad talent.