Brian Flores weighs in on Tua’s health, Dolphins’ interest in Fournette and much more
Lots to unpack from a newsy Brian Flores news conference Tuesday morning:
▪ While Tua Tagovailoa has made great progress from last November’s major hip injury, Flores acknowledges that the rookie quarterback’s long-term health will be a consideration when deciding whether to activate him on game-day.
“That is definitely part of the conversation,” Flores said. “We’re at 10 months. It was a pretty serious injury. He looks good, though. You guys have seen him. Good, healthy, moving around to his right to his left. [But] that’s part of the conversation. He’s a great kid. I care about him. I want what’s best for him.”
Despite most everyone’s belief that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the team’s Week 1 starter, Flores insisted a competition remains between Fitzpatrick, Tagovailoa and Josh Rosen.
“We’re not saying somebody’s 1-2-3,” Flores said. “It’s still a competition. Obviously Fitz has payed well. They’ve all played well in spurts. They’ve all made mistakes. We’ve still got a few days here. We like where all three of them are and we’ll continue to leave that as a competition moving forward.”
▪ Two quick items on the Dolphins’ running back situation:
1. Kalen Ballage has indeed reverted back to the Dolphins’ roster after failing a post-trade physical with the Jets.
“We’ve had discussions internally,” Flores said. “That’s an ongoing situation and we’ll address it when it’s necessary to address.”
And 2. Will the Dolphins kick the tires on Leonard Fournette, waived by the Jaguars Monday?
“We look at he waiver wire every day. Chris [Grier] and the scouting staff, they’ll make their evaluations and write a report and we’ll see, like all players who hit the waiver wire, we’ll see if it’s a good fit for us. If it is, we’ll make a move. If not, we won’t.”
▪ Flores on the Dolphins’ rookie class, and their readiness for football: “The big thing with the rookies on our team and across the league, you never really know about a player until there’s live action. It’s hard to know. We’re going to go into the unknown this season. ... I’m pleased with our rookie class. ... But there’s a lot of unknowns here. Playing in an NFL game, the speed of it, the pressure that’s involved in the game. Pressure busts pipes is the phrase that’s been used for a long time. We’ll see. It’s not just us. It’s every team.”
▪ The Dolphins have until 4 p.m. Saturday to cut their roster down to 53 players. They also can bring back as many as 16 players that they cut to their practice squad. Flores’ thoughts on those decisions:
“We’ve got a lot of competition on this team at various positions. It’s probably 60 players that we feel good about. I’m including practice squad spots as well. I think we’ve got some talented players, some guys we can develop. As far as forecasting who the best players are, the guys we think we can develop, that becomes a longer conversation. I kind of look at it who the 69 are. We’re going to have to release some of those guys and hope we get them back on the practice squad. I’ve got a pretty good idea of who the 69 guys are.”
▪ Julien Davenport, who is competing to be the team’s No. 3 offensive tackle, has “made a lot of improvements. He’s stronger. Made a lot of gains in the offseason — his technique, footwork is a lot better. He’s made a lot of improvement. ... I’ve been very happy with him. We’d have no problem putting him in the game.”
▪ Flores, on the team’s comfort level at wide receiver: “I feel guys like [Isaiah] Ford, [Mack] Hollins, [Chester] Rogers, DeVante [Parker] and Preston [Williams] and Jakeem [Grant], I like the depth. They’re all working. They all understand their roll in the offense. Malcolm Perry is part of that as well. They all have different and unique skill sets. I like the depth. Their role in the kicking game will also play a role in that evaluation.”
▪ Wide receivers DeVante Parker and Kirk Merritt sat out practice for the second straight day Tuesday. Neither Parker nor Jakeem Grant, who was in uniform Tuesday but working with a trainer early in practice, are expected to miss the opener.
Cornerback Byron Jones was also doing rehab during the brief portion of practice open to reporters.
Kyle Van Noy continues to practice with what appears to be a heavily wrapped brace on his right hand.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 9:28 AM.
