Dolphins cancel scrimmage; here are the inexperienced players getting first team work

The Dolphins have given considerable first-team work to inexperienced or relatively inexperienced players early in training camp, trying to determine who is ready for major roles:

Among those with a year or less of NFL experience who have seen considerable time with the starters during the past nine days:

▪ Kalen Ballage. Except for two days he missed this week due to a minor injury, Ballage — who was back on the field for a light walk-through on Friday — has handled the majority of first-team work at running back through eight training camp practices, with Kenyan Drake also getting some first-team work.

Ballage’s mission this camp: To show the Dolphins he’s worthy of a significantly expanded role.

“Being the first-team guy, it’s exciting,” he said Friday. “I just go out there to work, try to make my coaches happy, my teammates happy.”

Ballage said former Dolphins teammate Frank Gore, now with Buffalo, told him last year that players “could see [Ballage’s] talent and that you just got to wait your turn and see how it plays out. Hopefully, I’ll put a lot of good stuff on film this year.”

And he and Drake have remained friends through a competition that both would like to win. “That’s my brother,” Ballage said. “If you don’t have competition, I don’t think you’ll get better.”

Coach Brian Flores said Drake and Ballage are “both really good backs,... can run with power. They both have speed, good vision. They’re both explosive backs, do a good job in the pass game.”

▪ Rookie guards Michael Deiter and Shaq Calhoun:

Deiter, the team’s third-round pick, has been with the first team at left guard all four days since Dave DeGuglielmo replaced Pat Flaherty as offensive line coach. Calhoun, an undrafted rookie, has been with the first team the past two days. Flores said Friday both rookies have done “a good job.”

Defensive tackle Akeem Spence, who has gone against both rookies in practice, assessed each of them.

On Deiter: “He’s definitely going to be great in the run game. He still has some work to do in the pass game, like any young guy.”

On Calhoun: “Shaq has kind of got thrown into the fire. He’s adapting well. He’s learning things he can’t do. He’s a real strong guy, but everybody in this league is strong.

“He has to bring more the mental [part], learning how to play the game. He’s aggressive in the run game. He’ll get after you in the pass game, will fight you to the whistle and that’s what you want, guys that won’t back down.”

▪ Defensive tackle Christian WIlkins: The rookie first-rounder has impressed everyone and has emerged as the front-runner to start opposite Davon Godchaux. Those two have taken the vast majority of the first-team snaps.

▪ Sam Eguavoen and Jerome Baker: Eguavoen spent the past three years in the Canadian Football League has been one of the early surprises, consistently opening alongside Jerome Baker with the starters (in place of Raekwon McMillan and Kiko Alonso) in nickel packages.

“Sam is willing to come downhill, strike a fullback or guard,” Spence said. “He’s very athletic, can cover well. He’s one of those guys that might not have to come off the field. That’s what you want in the defense. Great vocal leader and always working, always in the film room studying and trying to take his game to the next level.”

Baker looks like a three-down linebacker in this system.

▪ Two other rookies also have received some first-team work this week: linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (the team’s fifth-round pick) and undrafted Georgia rookie defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter.

Twice this week, Ledbetter opened with the starters in 11-on-11 drills before Charles Harris eventually replaced him at one defensive end spot, opposite veteran Tank Carradine. Ledbetter graded out as one of the nation’s best defensive ends against the run last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Van Ginkel, who had 12 sacks and two interceptions in two seasons at Wisconsin, has had some good moments in pass coverage during practices in June and this week. He said he has been working to polish his pass-rush moves because he’s “mainly an edge guy” in this defense.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is getting first-team work in nickel packages.

SCRIMMAGE CANCELED

The Dolphins canceled Saturday’s 1 p.m. scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium because of expected bad weather. The team will instead practice at its facility on Saturday morning; it’s closed to the public.

▪ The Dolphins signed linebacker Nick DeLuca, who had 12 tackles, a sack and forced fumble in nine games and two starts for Jacksonville in 2018. Cut by the Jaguars in June, DeLuca went undrafted out of North Dakota State, where he won four FCS championships. DeLuca, who worked out for Detroit recently, cited toughness and high motor as his strengths.

▪ Safety Reshad Jones did not appear on the field during Friday’s walk through but what sidelined him wasn’t serious, a source said. McMillan missed practice with an undisclosed injury that isn’t serious.

▪ Eric Rowe lined up with the starters at boundary cornerback — opposite Xavien Howard — after rookie Nik Needham received those first-team snaps on Thursday. Rowe has been with the starters most of camp… Jordan Mills, who was the starting right tackle before this week’s coaching change, was the second left tackle Friday but was removed after committing a false start penalty…. Flores said his offensive and defensive coordinators will be on the field, not in the press box, during games this season.

▪ Flores, asked if Josh Rosen was motivated by Flores on Tuesday naming Ryan Fitzpatrick the leader in the quarterback competition: “My hope is that he’s motivated every day regardless of what anyone says — me, the media, anyone. It doesn’t matter. He’s a self-starter.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2019 at 4:15 PM.