Now that the Miami Dolphins have officially held five training camp practices, there is a better sense about their football team. Despite being 38-years-old, first-year head coach Adam Gase has brought in a certain intensity to their practices so far.
That intensity was on display during their Tuesday night practice. On a red zone drill, running back Damien Williams laid out rookie defensive end Farrington Huguenin and a huge fight broke out. A few minutes after the play was over, Huguenin had to be carted off the field because of an injury at the hands of Williams.
Gase wants the Dolphins to become more of a physical team, so it is easy to see why the team is taking on his personality.
“We came out and we were supposed to be in full pads today,” Gase said. “Once we came in here, we just went to the uppers; we went to the shoulder pads. We had a couple of guys get hit and go to the ground. The biggest thing about practicing with not full pads – being in shoulder pads – the last thing we want is anybody going to the ground, somebody to get rolled up on.”
Here are some other takeaways from the first five Dolphin practices:
Defense line is way ahead of the offensive line
The essence of football is in the trenches and the Dolphins defensive line has been handing it to their offensive line early on in camp. On paper, the Dolphins offensive line has improved, but we have not seen it on the field as of yet.
Despite being 34-years-old and coming off of an Achilles injury, Cameron Wake has looked as explosive as ever. He has blown up a number of players in the backfield during training camp.
Mario Williams and Ndamukong Suh have also made many plays during practices.
It is early, so there may not be a cause for concern as of yet. With the Dolphins having offensive line issues the last four-plus seasons, you at least have to be a little worried about their play during camp.
Running Back depth is worrisome
Projected starter Jay Ajayi has been held out of practice the last couple of days because of a knee injury. There were already questions about if Ajayi could hold up during a 16-game NFL season and now those whispers have gotten a louder.
Behind Ajayi, there are also a lot of questions concerning the rest of the running backs. Arian Foster will be 30 this month and is coming off of an Achilles tear last October when he was a member of the Houston Texans. While Foster has been productive in the league, he hasn’t played 16 games in a season since 2012.
Behind Ajayi and Foster are Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake, who also has a history of injuries while he was at Alabama. And then there’s Daniel Thomas, who has had a disappointing career thus far.
Cornerback depth is also troubling
Byron Maxwell is locked in as the Dolphins No.1 cornerback. The biggest worry, however, is the players behind him on the depth chart.
Second round pick Xavien Howard is on the PUP list as he is still recovering from a knee injury. Howard was penciled in as the starting outside corner opposite of Maxwell, but he might be out until the end of the preseason.
Tony Lippett has had his moment during camp, but he is still learning to play the cornerback position after playing primarily wide receiver at Michigan State. During his rookie season, Lippett did get some playing time in games against the San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots.
Bobby McCain looks like he will start at slot corner, but the team has used veteran Michael Thomas there as well.
Beyond that, there’s Chimdi Chekwa, Jordan Lucas and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu at corner. Those aren’t necessarily household names.
Gase said it is too early to say if anyone has stood out so far in training camp.
“How many practices are we in?” Gase asked reporters after practice. “Five right now? We’ll see. I’m interested to see when we get to the preseason games and we get really into that second and third preseason game seeing how that is.”
DeVante Parker’s health
DeVante Parker was held out of Tuesday’s practice because of a hamstring injury. While I was told it isn’t too serious, Parker injury history is pretty well known.
“He felt something yesterday,” Gase said. “I wasn’t very smart and should have pulled him out of two-minute (drills). He felt something, so we brought him back in there. He was a little bit dehydrated. We felt like if we gave him today off – with tomorrow (off) piled on top – we think we should get him back soon.”
After rookie minicamp in 2015, Parker had foot surgery to replace a screw in his foot stemming from an injury he suffered while at Louisville. Then during the season against the New England Patriots, Parker injured his foot again and missed the team’s next two games against the Buffalo Bills and the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the Dolphins are going to improve their red zone efficiency from last season, Parker needs to remain healthy. Miami was 20th in the league in touchdown percentage inside the opponents 20-yard line with a percentage of 53.49.
You can follow Antwan on Twitter @antwanstaley
