Dolphins veterans ignore past and look ahead to hyped season as they report to training camp
By and large, there was no great urge Tuesday to rehash the happenings of the past.
Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey wasn’t in the mood to compare previous teams — or even the Jacksonville humidity — to Miami.
Running back Raheem Mostert couldn’t hide a wide smile as he thought about what he could be another year removed from knee surgery.
And corner Xavien Howard was stone-faced, quickly interrupting a reporter when asked about the injuries that plagued him in a disappointing 2022 season.
“It’s 2023 now, bruh,” he said. “We ain’t going back.”
It is 2023 — and on Tuesday, Dolphins veterans reported to the Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens to begin preparations for a season that will be filled with great expectations. Miami will hold its first full-team practice Wednesday.
The buildup to the Dolphins’ regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 10 is gradual. About two dozen practices and three preseason games still stand in between games that really count.
But training camp will mark the first inkling of how a Dolphins team widely considered to be one of the most talented squads in the NFL will come together.
And Miami veterans gave their thoughts on the prospects that could make the team a contender in the AFC.
Running back Raheem Mostert emphasized the continuity of a dynamic offense that returns its starting quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa), top two running backs (Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr.) and receivers (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle), with Mike McDaniel having the experience of calling plays in his first season as head coach.
The familiarity will allow the offense to get “more and more explosive,” said Mostert, who led the Dolphins last season with a career-high 891 rushing yards. Mostert also said he’s healthier — not only physically but mentally — another year removed from a 2021 knee injury that required surgery and limited him to one game.
“The growth has been unbelievable,” he said. “Just being back, running full speed, taking advantage of the opportunities that I have off the field during the offseason and really just honing in on myself and my abilities. I’ve been involved in the pass game throughout my career, but now I’m starting to really see myself being that elite pass catcher solely based off focusing on that.”
He added: “I’m just so excited. Y’all really have no idea.”
On defense, the Dolphins made their biggest moves of the offseason, trading for Ramsey and hiring Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator.
“The first thing when Jalen got here, the one thing he said when we worked out and he [saw] the guys around, he was like, ‘This team has way more players and better players on this team than where I was at,” Howard said. “It starts from there, believing in each other and approaching every day and winning every day as a group.”
Though the start of training camp tends to elicit a first-day-of-school feel, Ramsey noted how long the season is and how keeping focus on the “bigger picture” will be paramount.
The collective team goal the Dolphins share is clear — getting the franchise’s first playoff win since the 2000 season and competing for a Super Bowl. But the internal motivation that has often fueled veterans such as Howard and Ramsey is still evident and may be a good sign for a team that will rely on their experience.
Howard, who has previously vowed to be better in 2023, reiterated that he views himself as a top corner when asked about how playing next to an All-Pro such as Ramsey could help.
And he later offered a blunt response when asked if recent Madden ratings — he’s tied for 20th among cornerbacks at 84 overall — could signal the public has a diminished view of him: “[Expletive] them.”
Said Ramsey: “I think people get confused sometimes when guys show an individual goal for themselves or have individual hype for themselves. But honestly, it’s like, ‘Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t I want to be the very best?’ Me being the very best is also going to help the team be successful.”
This story was originally published July 25, 2023 at 2:29 PM.
