Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo, Davone Bess and draft picks Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline appear the likely top five. Rookies Chris Williams and Brennan Marion are practice squad candidates. Receivers coach Karl Dorrell said Marion, who tore the ACL in his right knee while with Tulsa in the Conference USA title game, should be cleared to go full at the start of camp, and he is eager to see the player who averaged 31.9 and 25.9 yards per catch the past two seasons.

• Tight end: Joey Haynos enters as the front-runner for the No. 3 job, with Ernest Wilford, fifth-rounder John Nalbone and undrafted Jared Bronson pushing him. Wilford's best chance of sticking is if David Martin (Anthony Fasano's top backup) needs more time to recover after sports hernia surgery. But Martin's agent, Terry Williams, said Martin ``is healthy and ready to go.'' Nalbone and Bronson look like practice-squad options.

• Offensive line: More tough calls if Miami keeps nine, the logical number. The automatics: Jake Long, Vernon Carey, Justin Smiley, Jake Grove, Joe Berger (the versatile backup center) and Donald Thomas (assuming he is recovered from his pectoral injury). Thomas said he will be ready for the Sept. 13 opener, but was recently noncommittal about his availability for the start of camp.

That leaves three openings potentially. At least one will be a backup tackle, with Nate Garner entering camp with a leg up over rookies Andrew Gardner and SirVincent Rogers.

That would leave five guards competing for two spots among Brandon Frye (who also can play tackle), Shawn Murphy, Ikechuku Ndukwe, Andy Alleman and Mark Lewis. Frye, and later Murphy, played with the first team in summer practices (in Thomas' absence). The Dolphins like Alleman, and his agent said he is fully recovered from an offseason back injury.

CHATTER

• Though Columbus' Jakhari Gore (Frank Gore's cousin) said UM assured there will be room for him in its 2010 class, a Miami official privately disputed that and said UM prefers bigger running backs. . . . Bryce Brown -- who attended Canesfest on Saturday with his brother, UM linebacker Arthur Brown -- said fans approached and asked why he chose Tennessee over UM. ``It's more homey, not a big city,'' said Bryce Brown, who was wearing a pair of orange Tennessee shorts. . . . Freshman Jamal Reid, a star cornerback/receiver at Lafayette High in Mayo, said UM will play him at safety, his preference. . . . Defensive end Courtney Harris left UM before his senior year and might enroll at Memphis.

• Talent obviously has fueled Hanley Ramirez's best season, but there's more to it, Marlins people say. ``Now I see him doing more things to help the team win than to help himself,'' third baseman Wes Helms said. ``He gets here earlier, does little things. He has a routine now. Before, he did it as needed. It's maturity.''

Special advisor Tony Perez convinced Ramirez ``not to overswing. They used to pitch him away and get him out, but not now. I'm telling you, he will get ever better.'' Ramirez said he has never worked harder.

• Agent Raymond Brothers said ex-Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley has interest in signing with the Heat but cannot speak with teams until Tinsley clears waivers Wednesday. There are mixed views inside the Heat about Tinsley. Miami has considered adding a cheap veteran point guard, but still has concerns about Allen Iverson and had not inquired about free agents such as Bobby Jackson, Tyronn Lue and Brevin Knight.