Dolphins’ McDaniel addresses Tyreek Hill’s thumb injury, Tagovailoa and more on Wednesday
Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill has a thumb injury, but coach Mike McDaniel suggested it wasn’t serious.
Hill could have practiced fully on Wednesday in Tampa but is being held out of team drills for precautionary reasons because practicing fully would “put him at risk for further injury,” McDaniel said before the joint practice with the Buccaneers.
Hill is expected to participate in individual drills.
Hill appeared to sustain the injury in a joint practice with Washington last week when he fell on the hand, according to CBS-4.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins welcomed back receiver Jaylen Waddle, who had missed two weeks of practices. He was suited up on Wednesday and participated in individual drills, catching at least one pass.
McDaniel addressed other issues on Wednesday morning:
▪ He said some starters will play and others won’t in Friday’s preseason finale at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m., CBS-4).
“For the majority of the starters, today’s a very big practice,” McDaniel said. That’s particularly the case for those who won’t play on Friday.
▪ He said tight end Jonnu Smith “can serve different roles at different times. We got to see a little taste of what he can bring to the physical mentality of our team.”
▪ McDaniel didn’t seem especially concerned about the Dolphins not having their full starting secondary together for weeks. While safety Jordan Poyer returned to practice this week after sustaining a fractured thumb a week into camp, safety Jevon Holland has missed two weeks with an undisclosed injury.
“Everything has been so encouraging because we’ve taken advantage of every opportunity to get better,” McDaniel said. “Guys have really stepped up to the plate to get some of the best walk throughs and get some of those communicative reps. That will be led by Jordan Poyer and [Kendall] Fuller and... Jalen Ramsey.”
▪ McDaniel said Mike White and Skylar Thompson, who are competing for the No. 2 quarterback job, would both get practice reps on Wednesday.
“For each... I’m looking for that continued growth for circumstances that are ideal or maybe not ideal,” McDaniel said. “I don’t need to see them throw to open receivers. I need them to handle things to earn the respect of teammates [and thrive] in the midst of turmoil.”
▪ McDaniel said Tua Tagovailoa is “as coachable a player as I’ve ever been around and a freakish learner. He wasted no time to attack” issues that needed improvement this past offseason.
“I won’t divulge exactly what they are,” McDaniel said. “But physically you can see one of them [in terms of weight loss to make him more mobile].”
McDaniel said Tagovailoa’s thinking this offseason was “I’m not [fully] happy with the results. I’m going to work to change them.”
▪ McDaniel said he’s happy with where the Dolphins are, from a personnel standpoint, on the offensive line.
Asked if he has settled on the top guys, McDaniel said “seven guys are pretty solid” but said there are “some spots still to settle,... particularly in the interior” of the offensive line.
“I feel very good about the top portion of our offensive line, and I feel very strong about the competitors pushing those guys,” McDaniel said.
This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 9:36 AM.
