CAMP BATTLES
• The last day of training camp just happened to be the best day of camp for Reshad Jones, who is all but locked in at starting safety for the Dolphins. Jones had three interceptions during Wednesday’s morning practice, including one off Ryan Tannehill.
“There’s that instinct, intuitiveness, you want at the safety position, that kind of anticipation to break on a route and read the quarterback’s eyes,” coach Joe Philbin said. “He seems to have a good knack for the football.”
• Tannehill or Matt Moore? It’s still unclear who will start Friday’s road preseason game against the Panthers.
Philbin said Wednesday the decision had not been made, although added Tannehill would certainly get work with the starters at some point in the preseason.
• Kickoffs returned by Dolphins players Wednesday, in this order: Marcus Thigpen, Lamar Miller, Rishard Matthews, Clyde Gates and Steve Slaton.
• Philbin said he and general manager Jeff Ireland would make collaborative decisions on whom to cut and whom to keep, and declined to answer when asked who had the final say.
This and that
• Dolphins who missed full-team practice Wednesday: WR Brian Hartline (calf), QB David Garrard (knee surgery), DE Cameron Wake (undisclosed), LBs Kevin Burnett and Karlos Dansby (both undisclosed), OGs Artis Hicks and Eric Steinbach (both undisclosed) and RB Jonas Gray (undisclosed).
Backup safety Kevyn Scott appeared to tweak something midway through the morning session.
Should Wake, who has not practiced since he was involved in a minor car accident Monday, Burnett and Dansby all miss Friday’s game, that’s nearly a third of the starting defense on the shelf.
“To fully evaluate the defense, I’m looking for the defense to go out and play a lot faster than they did whoever’s in there out the game early in the game on Friday,” Philbin said
• Wide receiver Chris Hogan, a college lacrosse star, got favorable treatment in this week’s Hard Knocks. Teammates have taken to calling Hogan “7-11,” because he’s always open.
“I guess I grew up watching Hard Knocks, and seeing those stories that they do,” Hogan said. “People coming into camp were saying, ‘Oh, you’re going to be one of those stories.’ I wasn’t really thinking about it. It was fun seeing it on television.”
