The Stars of Summer ... And What It Might Mean in the Fall

Labor Day weekend has long been seen as the unofficial end of summer, but for the NFL it now means a clear separation between training camp and the preseason and the start of the regular season.

It's therefore a perfect time to review what we've seen over the past five-plus weeks and project how it might affect what we'll be seeing over the next few months.

Here now are the top performers of the summers for the Miami Dolphins and how, if at all, it might play into the 2021 regular season outlook.

WR MACK HOLLINS

After Hollins re-signed with the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent in March, the thought was that his special teams contributions would help him keep his roster spot but that it wasn't a guarantee because of the great depth the team amassed at the position. But while many of the prominent wide receivers on the roster battled injuries throughout camp, Hollins just kept making play after play and by the time the preseason finale arrived, his roster spot was secure enough that he didn't even play in that game. Now, whether his brilliant camp performance as a receiver means an increased role is debatable because of the presence of guys like Parker, Waddle, Fuller (after Week 1), Wilson and Williams, but it no longer should raise an eyebrow when he's on the field on offense.

DB JEVON HOLLAND

Head coach Brian Flores kind of pushed back when I asked him how much of Holland's four training camp interceptions were simply a product of natural instincts, pointing out that those were only four of hundreds of practice snaps the coaching staff needed to evaluate. There is something to that argument, but four interceptions in camp practices — including one each against the Bears and Falcons in those joint practices — is four interceptions. And considering they came after he had nine picks in two seasons at Oregon, it should be pretty clear by now that the ball finds Holland. Unfortunately, Holland saw his training camp interrupted by an injury that kept him out of the last two preseason games and it's difficult to see him starting ahead of veteran Jason McCourty in the early weeks of the regular season. But at some point that obvious playmaking ability that Holland possesses will put him in the starting lineup or at least get him on the field for meaningful snaps.

DB ERIC ROWE

His work wasn't nearly as splashy as that of Holland in practice, but he again looked really good in coverage. And while he draw a lot of (negative) attention when Travis Kelce and Darren Waller had big games against him, we'll point out yet again that his coverage in the games against both the Chiefs and Raiders actually was very good and he simply got beat on the ball. That's the next step in his development, and he'll get a good test immediately against Jonnu Smith of the Patriots.

LB ANDREW VAN GINKEL

Here's a guy who made a whole lot happen in not that many snaps as a second-year player in 2020, and it was just more of the same this summer, whether it was pressure on the quarterback, batting passes at the line of scrimmage or those two times in practice when he emerged with the ball in a team period and media members hadn't seen what happened because there was another play happening simultaneously on a closer field. Based on his development, it's difficult not to get excited about what could be in store for Van Ginkel in 2021.

QB REID SINNETT

That big-time performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason finale didn't just happen by accident. Let's put it out there that Sinnett — as the saying goes — looked the part of an NFL quarterback throughout camp, even though there's an experience issue considering he started only one year in college, and a FBS school San Diego at that. But Sinnett has the size and the arm to make him an intriguing developmental prospect, which is why it was a given the Dolphins would bring him back on the practice squad if he cleared waivers. And what he did this summer should offer hope that he could perform if it came to pass (pun intended) that the Dolphins needed to elevate him from the practice squad for a regular season game and he ended up getting some snaps.

TE ADAM SHAHEEN

Shaheen drew some attention this summer because of his anti-vaccine stance, but that should not take away from the fact he probably was the most noticeable tight end during camp practices. And let's remember that the Dolphins signed him to a contract extension during the 2020 season after they had acquired him in a trade with the Chicago Bears over the summer, which means the organization clearly saw some potential there. Shaheen's momentum has been derailed by an injury that has put his status for the opener in doubt, but it should be pretty clear by now he's going to be a factor in the passing game in 2021.

QB TUA TAGOVAILOA

We saved the most important player for last, and Tagovailoa's work clearly was a major step up from what we saw from him in camp as a rookie, which was to be expected for many reasons. Perhaps most encouraging is how Tagovailoa followed up that work with really good preseason performances against both Chicago and Atlanta. Now, fans shouldn't get carried away and automatically assume that Tua will light it up in his second season because of what happened this summer because his practice work was good but not flawless (as maybe some in the media would have you believe) and the kind of vanilla defenses he saw in the preseason won't be there in the regular season. That said, though, what was important in the summer was to see signs of growth to suggest a big step forward was possible and those signs definitely were there.