The Miami Dolphins have concluded day two of their mandatory minicamp and here are some key takeaways.
Roughly halfway through practice, Head Coach Brian Flores moved the team inside due to the weather. The offense seemed to pick up the pace a little bit as the interceptions dialed down and the impact plays picked up.
Some players that seem to have impressed today are Robert Foster, Nik Needham, Noah Igbonoghene, and Mack Hollins.
Foster, a free agent signee from Buffalo, played with Tua at Alabama and has been making plays left and right. Hollins, a key special teamer, had some clutch plays last season (Arizona and Las Vegas) and seems to have shown good chemistry with Tua so far.
As for Iggy and Needham, both players are playing out of their minds. With Xavien Howard holding out of minicamp, both Iggy and Needham are stepping up and showing they can handle being the opposite corner alongside Byron Jones.
Lynn Bowden Jr. also did some return work today as well as Jakeem Grant and Jaylen Waddle. If Bowden does lose receiver reps, look for him to be the main return if Grant gets cut.
Offensively, the team looked the complete opposite of yesterday. Tua’s ball placement was on display and completed a couple of deep passes as well. Jaylen Waddle and Jakeem Grant showed off their speed as they blazed past defenders all day. Jacoby Brissett was more efficient in redzone drills today compared to Tua but both units seemed to find a way into the endzone.
Defensively, the unit was not as lockdown compared to yesterday. That being said they did not just lay an egg and let the offense do anything to them. The first team second was very good in just about every drill as they had multiple pass deflections today and some interceptions. Benardrick McKinney played well today as he was all over the field. Rookie Jaelan Phillips has also been in coverage some as today Myles Gaskin got a step on him and caught a pass over him.
One player who seems to be in mid season form is kicker Jason Sanders who went 4/4 with a long of 51 yards today.
Two young players that are worth keeping an eye on are second year receiver Kirk Merritt and rookie safety Trill Williams. Merritt has been one of the more consistent players during this two day stretch (yes even yesterday in the rain) and looks to sneak into a crowded receiver room. While Williams has already been cut by the New Orleans Saints, seems to be putting things together in Miami as he is turning some heads with his movement.
Follow Tanner Elliott on Twitter
Tweet