Miami Dolphins hope for another Canadian Football League success story. And Howard update.
The Dolphins, who have had some success mining the Canadian Football League for talent, plucked another defensive player from north of the border on Saturday, agreeing to terms with safety Nate Holley.
Holley, 6-0, played linebacker in the CFL, but at 210 pounds is too light to be a full-time linebacker in the NFL. He played some safety at Kent State and during Los Angeles Rams training camp in 2018 before being released before the regular season started.
As a linebacker, Holley, 25, was very productive for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders last year, contributing 78 defensive tackles, 22 special teams tackles, one sack and one interception. The CFL named him the league’s most outstanding rookie.
Undrafted out of Kent State in 2017, Holley initially signed with the Minnesota Vikings before being released. He has a twin named Nick, who is a running back. They played college football together at Kent State and were also teammates for a time on the Rams and Indoor Football League’s Nebraska Danger.
The Dolphins have had CFL success stories before -- primarily Cameron Wake, who went from the British Columbia Lions to the Dolphins in 2009 and played here 10 years. His 98 sacks are second-most in Dolphins history, behind Jason Taylor’s 131.
Ex-CFL linebacker Sam Eguavoen had 42 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 16 games for the Dolphins last season, including six starts.
HOWARD TAKES STEP
Cornerback Xavien Howard is close to being removed from the COVID-19 list, where he had been since Aug. 11. Howard is out of quarantine and was riding a stationary bicycle during practice on Saturday.
He also remains on the PUP (physically unable to perform list) as he works his back from December knee surgery.
Besides Howard, three other Dolphins did not participate in Saturday’s practice: linebacker Jerome Baker (who was injured during Friday’s session and is day to day), safety Kavon Frazier (out for personal reasons) and linebacker James Crawford (unannounced reason).
Rookie defensive end Curtis Weaver limped off with a lower body injury and did not return to practice.
YOUNG LINEMEN
The Dolphins continue to give rookie fourth-round pick Solomon Kindley every opportunity to earn the starting right guard job, and Kindley appears to be making the most of it.
“I’m trying to prove myself that I belong where I’m at right now,” he said. “I’m just blessed to be here. I appreciate the Miami Dolphins for picking me up.”
Kindley, who weighs 335 pounds, is an impressive athlete; he was a lifeguard as a teenager in Jacksonville and also played high-school basketball.
Some Dolphins teammates initially needed convincing that he worked as a lifeguard. “They were all like, ‘Solomon, you can’t swim, you can’t do this,’ so we finally got in the pool. I promise you, I smoked everybody.”
He appreciates Jesse Davis and Ereck Flowers “teaching me how to be a pro – eating right, studying film, writing down all the notes that need to be done when the coach is talking to me in a meeting, making sure I’m 30, 45 minutes early to meetings or I’ve got to lift, getting up early.”
Kindley might be a bit ahead of second-round rookie Robert Hunt, who the Dolphins view as both a guard and tackle.
“I can play both and I think I can play both well,” Hunt said. “I don’t think I’m better at either position.”
Unlike Kindley - who played at Georgia - Hunt (a Louisiana-Lafayette alum) didn’t play college in a Power 5 conference. “I’m trying to learn this game, learn the pace of this game, and get better at it,” Hunt said. “The whole game is faster. Coming from the Sun Belt to this game is definitely different.”
Hunt, Kindley and rookie first-round left tackle Austin Jackson said they were grouped together in workouts at the NFL Combine, because the first letter of their last names are close alphabetically.
Here’s our full recap of Saturday’s practice, with lots of news on the quarterbacks and much more.
Here’s what Brian Flores had to say on Saturday.
This story was originally published August 22, 2020 at 4:26 PM.
