Kelly: Takeaways from Dolphins’ second week of training camp | Opinion
No matter how much carryover a team has on the roster, each NFL team forges its unique identity every NFL season, and training camp is the time when that identity is usually created.
Based on the first 10 days of Miami Dolphins training camp it’s clear that Mike McDaniel’s team is trying to shed the soft, finesse, undisciplined reputation the franchise has had during his previous three seasons.
“I want to see guys strain with pads and make people earn everything in both phases,” McDaniel said before Sunday’s physical two-hour padded practice, which featured quite a few players being taken to the ground.
The goal is to “create a style of play that’s unique to your own team,” according to McDaniel.
Here’s what Week 2 of training camp taught us about the 2025 Dolphins.
Patrick Paul’s showing significant growth
It has been years — Jarvis Landry and Jay Ajayi — since we have witnessed this kind of second-year jump from a Dolphins draft pick. When the pads came on Paul, the Dolphins’ 2024 second-round pick, who is expected to replace the retired Terron Armstead as Miami’s starting left tackle, began to dominate practice. He has a rare blend of size (6-foot-7, 326 pounds) and athleticism, which was showcased Saturday when he was the lead blocker 40-yards downfield on a Jaylen Waddle screen pass that would have been a touchdown if not for his false start.
Austin Jackson’s injury throws O-line a curveball
Miami’s offensive line fell apart last season when Jackson was sidelined by a right knee injury, and it appears the line will be forced to play the entire exhibition season without Miami’s starting right tackle, who sustained a lower extremity injury earlier this week. Miami’s biggest problem at the moment is the fact there isn’t a quality backup offensive tackle on the roster, which explains why three tackles have been signed in camp’s first 10 days. The Dolphins need more from Larry Borom to justify his offseason signing.
Dolphins dialing up physicality in Week 2
The Dolphins aren’t naive to the team’s soft, finesse reputation, and it’s clear McDaniel aims to address it during training camp because Miami has had quite a few physical practices. For the first time in McDaniel’s tenure we’re watching two straight periods of 1-on-1s between the offensive and defensive linemen in consecutive days. That’s 20 minutes of physical trench battles, and there’s very little break between each rep. The physical practices are starting to show when it comes to the team’s trench play. It will be interesting to see if this translates to the joint practices and preseason games.
Tua Tagovailoa efficiency has been impressive
Tua Tagovailoa has led the NFL in passer rating (2022), passing yards thrown for (2023) and completion percentage (2024) the past three seasons, proving that he’s one of the NFL’s top statistical passers. But he has turned up the volume on his efficiency in these training camp practices, rarely throwing incompletions, usually executing on third downs and in the red zone, and not throwing an interception until Sunday when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick picked off an end zone pass. If I were to guess, I would predict that Tagovailoa is completing 70-75% of his passes in practice.
Dolphins need a safety to step forward
When Ashtyn Davis injured his left leg, the Dolphins reached a panic state at safety, which was an area of concern coming into 2025. Miami needs to find the ideal partner for Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose versatility allows him to line up all over the field. At the moment Elijah Campbell’s holding down the starting spot, but Ifeatu Melifonwu, a free agent added this offseason, participated in his first training camp practice on Sunday. The Dolphins have also had young safeties such as John Saunders Jr. and Jordan Colbert step up as playmakers. Are they ready for a call up to the starting unit?
Storm Duck becomes Miami’s lead cornerback
Duck, a second-year cornerback who made it onto the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie from Louisville, has seemingly locked down a starting spot in Miami’s secondary because he has been the most consistent performer since the spring. As long Duck stays healthy, and the Dolphins don’t add a frontline cornerback via trade, free agency or the waiver wire, it’s realistic to think everyone else is competing for the other boundary job (Kendall Sheffield is the front-runner), and the nickel cornerback role. (Mike Hilton and Cornell Armstrong are battling).
Dolphins ready to move on from Cam Smith
In his four seasons at the helm McDaniel had always had something positive to say about every player, but that streak ended Sunday when he was asked about Smith, the Dolphins’ disappointing 2023 second-round pick, who seems to be nursing yet another soft-tissue injury.
“We are all awaiting his ability to stay on the field,” McDaniel said, referring to Smith, who played 133 snaps on defense last season before straining a calf and being placed on injury reserve for a second time that season.
At this point Smith isn’t one of Miami’s top six cornerbacks, which means he’s on the chopping block if he doesn’t begin this season on injured reserve.
The second-team D-line seems to be thriving
Miami’s defensive front will clearly carry the entire defense, but the second-team unit might be nearly as talented as the first. Chop Robinson has been one of camp’s top playmakers in the first two weeks, and so has Grayson Murphy, a second-year player who spent last season on injured reserve, and Matt Dickerson, a sixth-year veteran. The Dolphins front office will have some tough decisions to make in this unit when trying to produce the final 53-man roster.
Alexander Mattison had a dominant second week
Mattison, a seven-year veteran who has rushed for 2,790 yards on 716 career carries, blended in when the Dolphins were in shorts and shirts. But when the pads came on Mattison, who has started 26 NFL games, became one of practice’s top performers. His physical running style has allowed him to make the most of Miami’s troublesome second- and third-team offensive line, and he has also showcased the speed needed to break big runs. If he keeps this up he will push Jaylen Wright, who has had quite a few camp fumbles, for the No. 2 spot.
Dolphins need to be cautious with injury-prone edge rushers
Miami’s defense is built around the talent the Dolphins have on the edges in Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Robinson. All three have the potential to be double-digit sack producers, but they can’t be impactful if they aren’t on the field, and considering Phillips and Chubb have durability concerns the Dolphins might want to be careful with how much they participate in joint practice and the exhibition games the next three weeks. Phillips is already sidelined by a leg bruise, and Miami can’t afford for one of these three to be sidelined by something more serious, so proceed with caution.
This story was originally published August 3, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
