Brian Flores weighs in on Brady interest, Xavien Howard’s status and more at Combine
We’re pretty sure that Dolphins coach Brian Flores can walk and chew gum simultaneously, at least in a figurative sense.
So while yes, the team is laser-focused on emerging from this offseason with a young, franchise cornerstone at quarterback, it’s not his only priority this offseason. Far from it.
Flores touched on a various topics beyond Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa from the podium Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine:
Tom Brady to Dolphins?
Few, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross included, think Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has any interest in joining the Dolphins as a free agent. But Flores didn’t rule out the possibility Tuesday.
“I think [Ryan Fitzpatrick] did a good job, a really good job, last year,” Flores said. “His leadership is something that really helped us a year ago. I’m only focused on the guys that are on our team right now. As far as Tom or any other free agents that’s coming up, I understand the question, but right now, we’re having conversations. We kind of look at everything. [general manager] Chris [Grier], myself, the personnel staff, we look at everything, every avenue. Chris has got a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C for everything. And that’s a good thing. We kind of bounce a lot of ideas off each other. It’s a really good working relationship, and we’ll see what happens as we move forward.”
When a reporter pointed out that Flores’ answer to the Brady question wasn’t the same as the one that Ross gave this month, Flores responded:
“Like I said, I think Fitz has done a really good job. I agree with Steve as far as, ‘Why would [Brady] want to come to Miami?’ I do. I’ll leave it at that. I do agree with Steve.”
When asked his evaluation of Brady, who at age 42 had his worst statistical season since 2013, Flores said:
“I see a very talented player like everyone else sees. He’s probably one of the best players ever to play. That’s what I see.”
Xavien Howard update
Even though prosecutors recently dropped his domestic-violence case, Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard remains subject to possible NFL punishment.
When asked for an update on Howard’s status, Flores said: “The league’s kind of taken over in that standpoint. We’re going to let them go through that process, and we’ll take it from there.”
The NFL’s domestic-violence policy states that “it is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime,” leaving open the possibility that Howard will be suspended if the league determines he has engaged in “actual or threatened physical violence against another person, including dating violence, domestic violence, child abuse, and other forms of family violence.”
Howard was accused of grabbing and pushing his fiancée into a glass wall at their Davie home during an argument about a purse on Dec. 29.
Flores provided no update on Howard’s health; he underwent minor knee surgery after the Dolphins put him on season-ending injured reserve in late October.
Coaching changes
The Dolphins in 2020 will have new offensive and defensive coordinators, a bunch of new assistants, and now need a new receivers coach, too.
That’s because Karl Dorrell took the top job at Colorado a few days after Flores named him the Dolphins’ assistant head coach.
“I’m very excited for Karl,” Flores said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for him. He and I had some very good conversations about it. I think he was happy here with the Dolphins, but it was an opportunity that I was very supportive of and he wanted it. Like I said, all our coaches are, if it’s something that they want, then I’m going to be supportive of those guys.
“So as far as assistant head coach, we’re still kind of in the process of looking to replace Karl and all the things he was doing well with us. We’ll see how it goes. It’s still early in the process. When I know I’ll let you guys know.”
Other Dolphins news
▪ Wide receiver Preston Williams is about three months removed from major surgery to fix a torn ACL.
“Preston is working hard every day,” Flores said. “I’ve seen him in there. He’s working hard. He’s doing everything he can to get back as quickly as possible. I thought he played OK last year. I mean, there’s always room for improvement. I think he’s taking steps to make those improvements.”
▪ Josh Rosen is the forgotten man in the Dolphins’ quarterback room, but Flores maintains high standards for the former first-round pick.
“Josh, I expect him to come in, learn the offense, develop the way he was developing over the course and the latter parts of last season,” Flores said. “He’s going to get an opportunity to compete and get better every day.”
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 1:24 PM.
