Here’s the skinny on several intriguing Dolphins players from the man who’s training them
Miami Dolphins players aren’t permitted to work out at the team facility, but they’re hardly going unsupervised from a football standpoint.
Many of them have been getting coaching and direction in recent weeks from Pete Bommarito, the respected longtime trainer and owner of Bommarito Performance Systems, which has trained players from the NFL and other sports for well over a decade.
At least 14 Dolphins have trained with Bommarito this offseason, and he said two others (receiver Allen Hurns and linebacker Trent Harris) are planning to work out there.
And that means Bommarito has done more hands-on training with more Dolphins players than probably anyone on Earth since March.
That puts him in a good position to offer insight on how several Dolphins players look and what to expect this season.
His thoughts on five intriguing ones:
▪ On new running back Jordan Howard: “A guy with that much size, strength and power isn’t supposed to have quick feet like that. Everyone thinks he’s big and bruising. If you watch how fast he is and how much he can accelerate, how quick his feet are, is very rare. The Dolphins got a gem.”
▪ On new defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, who had 5.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits, 32 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in 10 games for Kansas City last season before his season was short-circuited by a pectoral injury:
“When you look at his skill set, anybody with a brain - plain as day - can see he was on his way to having a career year. It was a fluke injury, something that can happen in this sport.
“You will see the real Emmanuel Ogbah this year. He’s a 280-pound guy who can run a 4.5. In terms of personality and character, he’s perfect.”
▪ On receiver Albert Wilson, who was slowed early last season by the effects of the 2018 hip injury — and a hamstring issue — but finished last season strong and figures to be Miami’s top slot receiver:
“Wait until you see him run,” Bommarito said. “This is the fastest I have seen him. Not only does he have that bad-ass shifty side and quick feet, but you look at his second gear and he looks spectacular. You will see the second gear this year.”
▪ On former UM guard Danny Isidora, who started the Dolphins’ first three games at guard last season before going on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury:
“He’s 100 percent healthy. I’ve trained him since he was 14, since coming out of eighth grade. He’s an old school bad-ass player. He can move the pile. He’s athletic; his Combine numbers were spectacular. Big guy that can move.”
Isidora will compete with rookie second-round pick Robert Hunt, Michael Deiter and Shaq Calhoun for the right guard job - if Jesse Davis holds off Hunt for the right tackle job.
▪ On receiver Gary Jennings, a 2019 fourth-round pick of Seattle who was claimed off waivers by Miami last November but sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in his first game for the Dolphins:
Last Friday, “it was like old school college seven-on-seven out here, and he put on a clinic. His routes were outstanding. We’re talking about two straight hours going against some of the top defensive backs in this league.
“He was a 4.3 guy [at West Virginia] and is still a 4.3 guy. I had All Pro cornerbacks on those fields [last Friday], and they said he’s the real deal. All he needs is a shot. He has all the skills to be big time.”
Bommarito didn’t reveal the cornerbacks in attendance for that session, but one player said Indianapolis Colts three-time Pro Bowler Xavier Rhodes was among the corners on the field for Jennings’ big day.
Jennings — who will be competing for a job in a crowded receiver room — is interesting because:
A) He was an early Day 3 draft pick who suddenly became available to Miami last season because of a numbers game at receiver for the Seahawks.
B) Because he’s fast, has good size at 6-1 and was highly productive at West Virginia, where he caught 151 passes for 2013 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final two seasons (24 games) in 2018 and 2019.
Bommarito, who has facilities in North Miami Beach and Davie, said he’s conducting his workouts “with proper social distancing” and moved his lifting stations outside, on a field, so that players wouldn’t be at risk in a weight room.
While he doesn’t have direct contact with the Dolphins, “a lot of these guys come in with programs and say ‘this is what the Dolphins want us to do.’ We’re coaching them up to make sure they’re doing it right. The Dolphins are well-organized. These guys already have heart rate monitors.”
Among other Dolphins players who have been working with Bommarito and his staff: defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, linebacker Jerome Baker, running back Kalen Ballage, safety Adrian Colbert, fullback Chandler Cox, receiver Ricardo Louis, defensive end Avery Moss and cornerbacks Nik Needham and Ken Webster.
Here’s our Thursday Dolphins notebook with items on Bobby McCain, Mike Gesicki, Tua Tagovailoa and NFL rules changes.
Here’s my Monday piece on where the Dolphins stand with playing Tua Tagovailoa.
Here’s my Tuesday piece with a look at the Miami Dolphins defense, by position, and looming roster battles.
Here’s my Wednesday piece with a look at the Miami Dolphins offense, by position, and looming roster battles.
Here’s Thursday part 4 of my 5-part series on the Marlins farm system, with an eye on first basemen and catchers.
This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 5:12 PM.
