Williams, Grant among standouts in first padded Dolphins practice. Other highlights.
For the first time since late December, the Dolphins held a practice in pads Monday and for 90 minutes, all seemed right with the world.
Some highlights:
▪ DeVante Parker and Preston Williams caught beautiful, contested throws from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Parker also caught a deep ball from Fitzpatrick, with cornerback Byron Jones in coverage. The Parker/Jones matchup will be one of the delicious subplots of camp.
▪ Williams looks good after ACL surgery in November. Among his other receptions Monday: a slant against rookie cornerback Noah Igbinhoghene.
Williams ran routes crisply and maneuvered in and out of breaks cleanly, showing no ill effects of the major knee procedure.
He seems on pace to be available to open the season, barring a setback.
Williams also worked as a punt returner.
▪ Receiver Jakeem Grant had a very good day, including a reception on a bomb from Tua Tagovailoa, the first of what the Dolphins hope will be zillions of long TD passes thrown by the Alabama rookie. (That throw was in 1-on-1 drills, with Nik Needham in coverage.)
Grant caught a deep pass from Josh Rosen, too, during team drills.
▪ Jamal Perry — the cornerback formerly known as Jomal Wiltz — had multiple pass break-ups but was then shaken by Grant, who got wide open on a comeback route. Perry entered camp competing with Igbinoghene, Nik Needham and others for the nickel job. Deatrick Nichols also has joined that competition.
The Dolphins want to give Perry another long look in this camp.
▪ Second-year cornerback Ken Webster had an up-and-down session, including tight coverage on multiple throws and a pass breakup on another. But he also allowed Grant to get by him on a 75-yard throw from Rosen.
Webster, the Patriots’ seventh-round pick 16 months ago who was claimed by Miami on waivers Labor Day weekend, went on IR last December after appearing in eight games, with five starts.
He’s one of seven young cornerbacks competing for the fourth through sixth cornerback jobs behind Jones, Xavien Howard (who’s both on the COVID-19 and PUP lists) and Igbinoghene, who had a rough first padded practice as a Dolphin.
▪ Jones had very good coverage on Williams on one play Monday. You can see why the Dolphins made Jones the highest-paid corner in football; he only has one interception the past two years but is always around the ball.
▪ Safety Eric Rowe forced a Kalen Ballage fumble. Ballage needs a strong camp to stick. The physicality is good to see from Rowe; his pass metrics were among the best of all safeties when he moved there from cornerback last October.
The question is whether Rowe and Bobby McCain hold up well against the run.
▪ Linebacker Kyle Van Noy had a terrific run stop on Ballage on one sequence. Van Noy is going to be helpful in so many ways to this defense.
▪ We’re not permitted to identify starting groups, but we can go as far as to say there were no surprises on defense in that regard.
▪ Guard Ereck Flowers, who spent two weeks on the COVID-19 list before coming off on Saturday, participated briefly in team drills but then was pulled to the side for conditioning work. Understandably, he appeared winded.
▪ Center Ted Karras confirmed that he has gotten work alongside rookie lineman Solomon Kindley during camp.
▪ Other than Xavien Howard, everyone else was present at practice.
This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
