MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Mike McDaniel turned up the intensity in the sixth Miami Dolphins training camp practice of 2024.
After a relatively low-impact first week, McDaniel dialed up a live short-yardage period at the end of Tuesday’s workout. For the Dolphins, it was an important first step as they try to become a team that can beat teams with both speed and power.
Miami Dolphins Practice Report July 30
The defense got the better of the offense in full-contact, tackling-to-the-ground practice 3rd-and-1 period.
But the real drama came after the whistle.
Running back Jaylen Wright and cornerback Kader Kohou got into a shoving match that tackle Patrick Paul ended when he picked up Kohou and half-suplexed him, which caused the benches to clear (Paul, it should be said, has 135 pounds on Kohou).
“Football fights to me are really just pushing each other,” tackle Terron Armstead, who practiced Tuesday for the first time since the end of the season, said with a chuckle. “There’s not much going on. You got helmets on, the pads, and all that. It’s tempers flaring, you feel like you gotta get a couple of them off. That’s it.”
Added linebacker Jordyn Brooks: “I think what you gotta do when it’s a big crowd is you gotta do a lot of movement to make it seem like you’re doing something.”
While the fight itself might have been performative, the attitude shift that preceded it was not. The Dolphins have lost big late-season games the last two years because they’ve lost the toughness battle — a character trait they fully intend to adopt in 2024.
“A lot of that, especially like in short yardage competition today, is much less about the technique,” Armstead said. “Honestly. It’s about competing. ‘I want to whoop his a–, let’s get the first down, let’s talk shit afterward.’
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“That’s really it. We worry about the steps and all that later. But the defense jumping offside. We jumping and snapping, you know what I mean? It’s just competition, but that’s what you wanna see, who’s able to rise up to that competition to win that period? It’s not a technique drill, it’s not a, ‘Make sure you get the step down.’ No, it’s, ‘Let’s go whoop his a–.'”
Playing with an edge was such a point of emphasis Tuesday that cornerback Jalen Ramsey spoke about it for a good 10 minutes afterward.
Ramsey told his teammates “things the team needed to hear,” Brooks said. “That was one of the biggest things — being a bully on defense.”
Injury Report
The physical practice did not come without a cost. Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. suffered what appeared to be a left leg injury during the short-yardage drills, while safety Jordan Poyer was getting his right hand/thumb looked at late in the day.
Cam Smith missed his second straight practice after suffering an undisclosed — but apparently minor — injury Sunday.
“Based upon the severity of the injury and his previous injury history — let’s say training camp and preseason games won’t be compromised, in terms of the entirety,” Dolphins coach McDaniel said. “So he’ll be participating in that. I don’t know exactly when that is.”
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Also not spotted at practice Tuesday: Running backs Salvon Ahmed and Raheem Mostert; wide receiver Erik Ezukanma; and linebackers Anthony Walker Jr. and David Long Jr.
As for guard Isaiah Wynn, who is currently on the physically unable to perform list, he hasn’t practiced since suffering a season-ending quad injury last October.
“He’s in the building every day,” McDaniel said. “He’s doing well. His process is diligent. He’s been a steadfast fixture within the building and the team. He’ll keep progressing. I’ll give you an update when it’s a little clearer.”
