A six-pack of Miami Dolphins notes on a Monday:
▪ Very few conclusions can be drawn from an offseason program that featured no tackling, limited 11-on-11 work and no contact between the offensive and defensive lines.
But if you’re looking for Dolphins players that flashed (quarterbacks aside), several should be on the list, a group including — but not limited to — cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, receiver Robert Foster and tight end Hunter Long.
Igbinoghene, the 30th overall pick in the April 2020 draft, made a terrific play in coverage during a red zone drill, forcing DeVante Parker to catch a pass out of bounds.
“He’s an incredible talent,” cornerback Byron Jones said of Igbinoghene. “I think the way he’s approaching the game this year is going to be special. I think, to be honest as a rookie, he balled out in camp. I was really impressed with the way he performed and approached the game.
“Chuck [cornerbacks coach Charles Burks] is not easy on anybody. He’s certainly not easy on the guys he knows that expectations are very high for. Noah did an incredible job of just being there, being attentive every single day and learning and trying to put forth what Coach Chuck was wanting out of him. He’s doing the same thing this year. He’s comfortable, he understands the defense, he understands what it’s like to be in the National Football League.”
Foster, meanwhile, made several nice catches in the two minicamp sessions, including one difficult contested catch for a 25-plus-yard gain in the middle of the field. Foster, the former Buffalo and Washington receiver, has speed and size (6-2) and has added value because he’s a gunner on special teams - a job that Mack Hollins handled last season.
Hollins, the only Dolphins player who appears to be wearing a mask during practice, had a TD catch during the minicamp.
Long, the rookie tight end, made several nice catches and received more opportunities during minicamp, with Mike Gesicki wearing a red noncontact jersey and limited somewhat because of a shoulder injury sustained late last season.
Other non-QBs who impressed include running back Myles Gaskin, receiver Will Fuller (teammates have raved about him), receiver Jaylen Waddle (50-yard touchdown catch) and receiver Albert Wilson (appears to have regained his speed and shiftiness after his 2018 hip injury).
Though it’s difficult to make any conclusions on offensive linemen or defensive front seven players because of the lack of contact and the limited number of 11 on 11 drills, rookie linebacker Jaelan Phillips generated some pressure on the quarterback and made a nice play in the run game.
And second-year defensive end Jason Strowbridge and former Patriots free agent addition Adam Butler also applied pressure on the quarterback.
And credit cornerbacks Nik Needham, Trill Williams, Justin Coleman and Jamal Perry; safeties Jevon Holland and Nate Holley; and linebacker Brennan Scarlett for interceptions during the two-day minicamp.
▪ OLGB, a sports betting platform in the United Kingdom, surveyed 759 NFL fans and gathered Twitter data to determine which NFL athletes receive the most love and hate on Twitter.
Notably, 49.5 percent of the tweets about Tua Tagovailoa are positive, making him the NFL’s “seventh-most most beloved player on the platform overall, and the AFC East’s most popular player,” according to the study.
Using positive tweets as a gauge in this study, Tagovailoa finished as the fourth “most beloved” quarterback in the NFL, ahead of Patrick Mahomes (11th), Josh Allen (12th), Tom Brady (14th), and Joe Burrow (19th), among others.
A majority of fans surveyed called Brady the NFL’s most hated player.
Here’s the full study.
▪ Don’t be surprised if Jesse Davis starts at left guard, though Solomon Kindley is formidable competition.
Davis said he’s fine playing there or anywhere. “The left side I haven’t really gotten too many reps at but that’s how we get better is by doing it,” Davis said.
▪ Very few conclusions can be drawn from an offseason program that featured no tackling, limited 11-on-11 work and no contact between the offensive and defensive lines.
But if you’re looking for Dolphins players that flashed (quarterbacks aside), several should be on the list, a group including — but not limited to — cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, receiver Robert Foster and tight end Hunter Long.
Igbinoghene, the 30th overall pick in the April 2020 draft, made a terrific play in coverage during a red zone drill, forcing DeVante Parker to catch a pass out of bounds.
“He’s an incredible talent,” cornerback Byron Jones said of Igbinoghene. “I think the way he’s approaching the game this year is going to be special. I think, to be honest as a rookie, he balled out in camp. I was really impressed with the way he performed and approached the game.
“Chuck [cornerbacks coach Charles Burks] is not easy on anybody. He’s certainly not easy on the guys he knows that expectations are very high for. Noah did an incredible job of just being there, being attentive every single day and learning and trying to put forth what Coach Chuck was wanting out of him. He’s doing the same thing this year. He’s comfortable, he understands the defense, he understands what it’s like to be in the National Football League.”
Foster, meanwhile, made several nice catches in the two minicamp sessions, including one difficult contested catch for a 25-plus-yard gain in the middle of the field. Foster, the former Buffalo and Washington receiver, has speed and size (6-2) and has added value because he’s a gunner on special teams - a job that Mack Hollins handled last season.
Hollins, the only Dolphins player who appears to be wearing a mask during practice, had a TD catch during the minicamp.
Long, the rookie tight end, made several nice catches and received more opportunities during minicamp, with Mike Gesicki wearing a red noncontact jersey and limited somewhat because of a shoulder injury sustained late last season.
Other non-QBs who impressed include running back Myles Gaskin, receiver Will Fuller (teammates have raved about him), receiver Jaylen Waddle (50-yard touchdown catch) and receiver Albert Wilson (appears to have regained his speed and shiftiness after his 2018 hip injury).
Though it’s difficult to make any conclusions on offensive linemen or defensive front seven players because of the lack of contact and the limited number of 11 on 11 drills, rookie linebacker Jaelan Phillips generated some pressure on the quarterback and made a nice play in the run game.
And second-year defensive end Jason Strowbridge and former Patriots free agent addition Adam Butler also applied pressure on the quarterback.
And credit cornerbacks Nik Needham, Trill Williams, Justin Coleman and Jamal Perry; safeties Jevon Holland and Nate Holley; and linebacker Brennan Scarlett for interceptions during the two-day minicamp.
▪ OLGB, a sports betting platform in the United Kingdom, surveyed 759 NFL fans and gathered Twitter data to determine which NFL athletes receive the most love and hate on Twitter.
Notably, 49.5 percent of the tweets about Tua Tagovailoa are positive, making him the NFL’s “seventh-most most beloved player on the platform overall, and the AFC East’s most popular player,” according to the study.
Using positive tweets as a gauge in this study, Tagovailoa finished as the fourth “most beloved” quarterback in the NFL, ahead of Patrick Mahomes (11th), Josh Allen (12th), Tom Brady (14th), and Joe Burrow (19th), among others.
A majority of fans surveyed called Brady the NFL’s most hated player.
Here’s the full study.
▪ Don’t be surprised if Jesse Davis starts at left guard, though Solomon Kindley is formidable competition.
Davis said he’s fine playing there or anywhere. “The left side I haven’t really gotten too many reps at but that’s how we get better is by doing it,” Davis said.
