Dolphins Kick Off Offseason Program

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The Miami Dolphins were back to work as a team Monday when they kicked off their 2024 offseason program.
The Dolphins were one of the 25 NFL teams that began their offseason program Monday, the earliest starting date for teams with returning head coaches.
Heading into Mike McDaniel's third season as head coach, the Dolphins will conduct their offseason program through June 6, kicking off with Phase One, which is limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation.
Director of Player Engagement Alexander Martin took to social media to recognize the first meeting of the offseason program.
1st Team Meeting of 2024 officially in the books ☑️ pic.twitter.com/zysg3dMZmI
— Alexander (@__ItsAlexander) April 15, 2024
BREAKING DOWN THE DOLPHINS OFFSEASON
Phase One is run through the first two weeks of the offseason program.
Phase 2 consists of the next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills, as well as “perfect play drills,” and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are permitted.
Phase 3 consists of the next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or “OTAs”. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
As they did last offseason, the Dolphins are planning on using only six of their 10 allotted OTA opportunities.
“A lot of things factor into it," McDaniel explained last spring. "I think that by and large, players, coaches, people in general, do best when ‘why’ is explained to them. In this particular situation, I think that it is crucial that we have, as convicted, present, deliberate, football players when they’re approaching practice and really recognizing how each opportunity is very crucial to the development of the team. I think when you’re able to acknowledge players’ hard work, and they get positively reinforced with actual action, I think it goes a long way. They are afforded the less practices because they’ve earned it because of the way they’ve approached the whole offseason. My standards for preparation are pretty high and they have recognized that and really heeded to the expectation across the board. I think in those types of circumstances, everyone benefits with a little bone here or there.”
Other than the veteran minicamp, the entire offseason program is voluntary.
THE DOLPHINS OFFSEASON PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Monday, April 15 — Start of offseason program
Monday, April 29 — Start of Phase Two
Monday, May 20 — OTA
Tuesday, May 21 – OTA
Thursday, May 23 — OTA
Tuesday, May 28 — OTA
Wednesday, May 29 — OTA
Friday, May 31 — OTA
Tuesday, June 4 — Mandatory minicamp
Wednesday, June 5 — Mandatory minicamp
Thursday, June 6 — Mandatory minicamp

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.
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