Kelly: What To Watch Early at Dolphins Training Camp

The first week of training camp is upon us, which means we'll finally begin the process of discovering answers to the questions we have about the 2023 Miami Dolphins.

Discoveries will be made daily, and I hope you'll lock in with All-Dolphins as Alain Poupart and your truly try to navigate you through this season.

We'll be full-court pressing practices with the intent of making you feel like you didn't miss anything, and doing daily podcast wrap-ups.

I not only hope you'll bookmark the WEB PAGE, but also subscribe to the podcast, and make sure you sign up for alerts.

Here are 10 things I’ll be looking for in Week 1 of training camp, which doesn't feature pads, and is extremely limited and basic:

1. Who is the first-team nickel cornerback?

Nik Needham beginning training camp on the PUP list hints the Dolphins aren’t in a rush to get the fifth-year veteran back onto the field, and that’s a wise decision. I’ve been told by players that an Achilles injury is tougher to come back from than an ACL injury. I don’t know how true that is, but Needham should be given a full 10 months to heal, which means let’s revisit his health at the end of August.

As for the nickel spot, Kader Kohou is younger and more physical. That means he has more upside than Needham, whose intelligence has been his calling card. The Dolphins need to explore what continuing to invest in Kohou's upside looks like. I’m not saying the door should be closed on Needham regaining his starting spot. What I’m saying is that Kohou should have the pole position.

2. Can Baxton Berrios loosen Robbie Chosen’s stronghold on the WR No. 3 role?

Chosen distinguished himself as a playmaking receiver during the offseason program, and very well could become the perfect complement for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle if he continues to make impact plays and learns the playbook at a respectable pace. But he’ll have competition from Braxton Berrios and others for that third receiver role, which was vacated when Trent Sherfield signed with the Bills. Berrios likely will handle the slot snaps while Chosen works on the boundary. Who plays more snaps likely will come down to how Miami’s coaches utilize Hill and which receiver fills the offensive voids the best.

3. Was David Long Jr. a wise investment?

I did a deep dive into Long’s 2023 performance with the Titans and have to admit I left that film session more impressed than I expected to be. He’s small, but instinctive. His diagnostic skills are a finger snap faster than most linebackers, and he's above average from a coverage standpoint. But much like Jerome Baker, shedding blocks isn’t exactly his forte. The Dolphins gave Long a two-year, $10 million deal, which the Dolphins can escape next season despite the $1 million that’s fully guaranteed, hoping that he can become a more durable player. Expect Long to be highly motivated, and possibly kept in bubble wrap until the regular season because he’s too valuable a player to lose during the fake game portion of the NFL season.

4. Where is Trill Williams playing in his return?

Williams was one of camp’s top standouts last season before he tore his ACL in an exhibition game. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, he probably would have spent last season as a starting cornerback blossoming like Kohou. He’s spent the last 10 months rehabbing the left knee to put himself in position to pick up where he left off, but it seems as if he’ll be moving to safety this camp and working to carve out a role.

5. Which safety replaces Eric Rowe?

Safety happens to be one of the positions I’m not very comfortable with from a depth standpoint. Behind Jevon Holland, there’s a ton of mystery meat. What do I mean by that? You’re biting into something and having to guess what you’re eating. That can’t be a comfortable position for Miami. Brandon Jones, DeShon Elliott, Williams, Elijah Campbell and Verone McKinley all have a realistic shot of making it onto Miami’s 53-man roster, and one of them will be put in position to replace Rowe as Miami’s tight end coverage specialist. Everyone knows coverage is not Jones’ speciality, so it will be interesting to see if Elliott or Williams can get the job done against the Travis Kelces of the NFL.

6. Can Isaiah Wynn challenge Liam Eichenberg for the starting left guard spot?

One of these two players will be the sixth man of the Dolphins offensive line. It’s either Wynn, who likely will serve as the backup left tackle and left guard, or it’s Eichenberg, who can play all three interior spots after being cross-trained as a center this offseason. Eichenberg probably will be given the benefit of the doubt and receive favoritism because of his standing as a 2021 second-round pick, but he’ll need to perform at a respectable level to keep the job.

7. Can Mike White hold off Skylar Thompson, or is this a legit QB battle?

The Dolphins signed White to a two-year, $8 million deal hoping that he was an upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater. But it turns out he struggled to outshine Thompson as Miami’s second-team quarterback. If what we saw during the offseason program continues, we could be looking at an exhibition season battle to determine who will be Tua Tagovailoa’s backup in 2023. In fairness to White, Thompson was more familiar with the offense and the personnel. But these next few weeks of practice should provide White an opportunity to showcase his accuracy and intangibles, which has made him a fairly popular quarterback at every one of his NFL stops.

8. Who is worthy of tight end No. 2 designation?

The Dolphins are seemingly de-emphasizing the tight end position when it comes to the passing game. That’s the best way to explain how the team handled the position this offseason, letting Mike Gesicki depart as a free agent, extending Durham Smythe’s contract, elevating his status, adding two relatively cheap free agents in Tyler Kroft and Eric Saubert, and waiting until late in the draft to add one (Elijah Higgins), though Miami was in position to select some of the better tight end prospects in the 2023 draft class. At this point it’s hard to conclude anything else based on how the Dolphins handled the position. But that doesn’t mean someone — Kroft, Saubert, Tanner Conner or Higgins — won’t seize the opportunity to become a respectable weapon to pair with Smythe.

9. What backup offensive tackle is ready to make the team?

I’m a firm supporter of Terron Armstead being placed in bubble wrap, having his practice and game participation heavily limited until three weeks before the regular season opener. That’s the best way to ensure the 32-year-old will be healthy for the entire season. With that said, all the left tackle snaps he’ll be sitting out need to be handled by someone. That’s 700-800 snaps that Wynn, Cedric Ogbuehi, Geron Christian, Kion Smith, James Tunstall and possibly Ryan Hayes get to prove they belong in the NFL and potentially could fill in as the swing tackle. The hope is that one of these players uses Armstead’s shelving to raise his hand, demanding a roster spot.

10. Does Miami have a quality backup D-lineman on the roster?

There are two players on the Dolphins roster who don't have a quality, proven backup, and they're Raekwon Davis and Emmanuel Ogbah. Ogbah is a traditional 4-3 defensive end, and Davis is a nose tackle, which the 3-4 defensive scheme requires to be utilized. An injury to either player likely would force Vic Fangio to alter his defensive front unless one of the undrafted rookies or NFL journeymen — Brandon Pili, Randy Charlton, Josiah Bronson or Jaylen Twyan — steps forward and proves he's a keeper with effective practices and a strong exhibition season showing.