Dolphins Stock Report (Day 12): Two fights halt Dolphins-Falcons joint practice
An hour after the NFL fined the New York Giants and Detroit Lions $200,000 each for having multiple fights during a joint practice on Tuesday the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons held a spirited practice that had to be paused twice because of fighting.
Miami’s defense, which is working toward building a bully reputation, clearly got underneath the skin of the Falcons offensive players because both fights broke out at the end of 11-on-11 plays where Miami’s defense was working to contain the Falcons offense.
The first was started when an unidentified edge player and Falcons tight end took their collision to the ground at the end of a run play. Their exchange triggered a gathering of both teams, which was highlighted by cornerback Jalen Ramsey snatching and throwing a Falcons player’s helmet.
The second came one period later, at the end of a collision between a Falcons receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III and Dolphins defensive back.
The identities of all the other fighting players aren’t disclosed because those units were working on the far field, and the collection of bodies throwing themselves into the fray happened fast.
After the second fight Falcons coach Raheem Morris gathered both teams and gave them a long lecture about cleaning up Wednesday’s session. No fights occurred afterwards.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Dolphins and Falcons face the same scrutiny and fines from the NFL for holding two days of testy joint practices, which lead up to Friday night’s night’s preseason opener at Hard Rock Stadium.
“It’s football. It happens. At the end of the day, we’re all men and we’re all competitors. The last thing you want to do is lose a rep. But that comes with it,” said linebacker Duke Riley. “At the end of the day it’s all love. I’d rather be out there with a dog than someone who ain’t trying to bite back.”
TOP PERFORMER
Stock Up
Julian Hill is a monster when it comes to blocking, consistently manhandling opposing defenders on run and passing plays. But he caught one check down pass from Tua Tagovailoa and took it up field for a respectable gain. It’s clear that he can do damage in Miami’s offense if given the opportunity, and he’s seemingly earning more snaps by the day.
Cam Brown, a late addition to the training camp roster because of his prowess as a special teams plays, had a pesky day as one of Miami’s backup edge players. Brown made a handful of stops close to the line of scrimmage, or in the backfield. Brown has a wiry frame, and seemingly knows how to use it to harass quarterbacks and ball carriers.
Stock Down
Kion Smith was given a prime time opportunity to showcase the growth he’s undergone the past two seasons when called on to start at left tackle during Wednesday’s practice, but the spotlight was too bright for the third-year offensive linemen. Smith was seemingly overwhelmed by the role and struggled on numerous plays in Wednesday’s practice. The Dolphins should have used that opportunity to elevate Patrick Paul because Smith’s play led to a ton of left side leakage.
On a day where Jordan Poyer and Jevon Holland were sidelined by injuries, creating an opening for the backup safeties to have their role elevated, Nik Needham had a relatively quiet day. In fact, he’s had a quiet camp the past two weeks, sparingly making plays that could turn the tide of a game. These are new coaches, so if Needham’s going to survive this year’s cuts he’ll need to do something to impress defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and his staff.
TAKEAWAY FROM THE DAY
The Dolphins seem to be caught with their pants down yet again when it comes to the backup center role. If the hand injury Aaron Brewer suffered late into Wednesday’s practice is something that will sideline him for a couple of weeks, its well understood that Liam Eichenberg is the team’s top backup center. But if he’s forced to fill in for Brewer that would stagnate his development at right guard, the position where he was holding onto a slim lead for the starting job. If Eichenberg does move over to handle the center workload the door has been opened for Lester Cotton and Jack Driscoll to lock down the starting right guard role.
WHAT THEY SAID
“It’s an honor, and privilege,” River Cracraft said about being the No. 1 pick for the second year in the Dolphins receiver draft, which is a competition Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have annually, splitting up the receiver units for a daily competition that measures more than just passes caught, yardage produced and touchdowns scored. “It’s for a reason. I do respect [Hill] and his decision, and I appreciate him choosing me. But at the same time I’ve worked for that. I’ve earned that. I’m proud of myself for that.”
