The Miami Dolphins had a day off from the practice fields at the Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens on Thursday, but they were right back it for more work on Friday in front of many fans in attendance.
Head coach Mike McDaniel led his team in practice, but it was undrafted rookie offensive lineman Kellen Diesch that was tasked with pumping up the fans in the crowd, and he did a great job. It might not have been as exciting as Blaise Andries’ day, but it was a solid effort.
Here’s what we learned from Friday’s training camp session.
Andrew Van Ginkel was in orange
Van Ginkel got to don the orange practice jersey as the team’s practice player of the day. He had a variety of music to get the team and fans excited for the start of the session.
This is the first time that Van Ginkel received the honor.
🍊 @AndrewVanGinkel puttin’ in the work in the Orange Jersey!! 🍊 pic.twitter.com/00n9dy5J0v
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 5, 2022
Player participation
Cornerback Byron Jones remains on PUP after leg surgery this offseason.
Center Michael Deiter is still out with a foot injury. McDaniel said prior to the session, that they’re expecting him back sooner than later.
Defensive back Elijah Campbell, who was removed from NFI earlier in the week, was out with an illness.
Safety Clayton Fejedelem (undisclosed injury) and fullback John Lovett were also absent from practice.
Running back Raheem Mostert (out of the red non-contact jersey) and fullback Alec Ingold (still in non-contact jersey) were at practice, but they didn’t participate in positional drills. Both players did take part in team drills.
Terron Armstead sees action
For the first time all camp, Armstead took part in 11-on-11s in practice. This is a great sign for a line that has struggled to this point with other tackles filling in during the first week.
Connor Williams experiment is not going great
Prior to practice, McDaniel spoke about his confidence in Williams to find his rhythm with snapping. However, when they hit the practice field, it was once again a tough day for the guard-turned-center. Multiple snaps were high and he had a last one low to Skylar Thompson. This can’t be an issue this season.
The run defense has been impressive in recent days
Despite there still not being game-like contact during these training camp sessions, Miami’s defense has been stout against the run. On Friday, there were multiple runs that ended at or behind the line of scrimmage due to great plays from guys like Jaelan Phillips, Eric Rowe, Zach Sieler, Ben Stille and John Jenkins.
A couple of nice runs from Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert still gained positive yards, but the ground game was definitely controlled by the defense.
