Malcolm Perry makes his move. And final stats from the Miami Dolphins’ scrimmage
The Dolphins drafted Navy quarterback Malcolm Perry in the seventh round with the hope that he could become a multi-purpose secret weapon.
And Perry has displayed a knack for big plays over the past week, leaving the Dolphins very encouraged.
“Malcolm is a good football player,” safety Bobby McCain said on Saturday. “He’s a jack of all trades. He can play a lot of positions for us, as far as quarterback, slot receiver, outside, you can put him anywhere. He’s just a football player. He makes plays. He’s a tough kid. He’s working on making tough catches. As you saw today, he had a big catch today.”
That reception in Saturday’s Hard Rock Stadium scrimmage, on a pass from Josh Rosen, covered 56 yards. He finished the day with two catches for 62 yards.
Perry, earlier this week, caught a beautiful 70-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa.
And on Friday, he caught a 15-yard touchdown from Tagovailoa.
Whether Perry has done enough to get significant playing time early in the season remains to be seen.
Chester Rogers (one of the Colts’ top slot receivers the past two seasons), Jakeem Grant and Isaiah Ford obviously have considerably more experience in the slot, and all three have made plays during training camp.
Those three - along with Perry and starters DeVante Parker and Preston Williams - could be the six receivers on the roster to open the season, though veteran Ricardo Louis has had a good camp.
Perry is still being listed as a running back on the team’s official roster and the Dolphins conceivably could try to maximize his speed on reverses.
In four years at Navy, Perry produced 4,359 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry. Before focusing on quarterback, Perry caught 22 passes for 470 yards and three touchdowns during his college career, then worked as a receiver at the NFL Combine.
His coaches at Navy have raised comparisons to New England’s Julian Edelman, another seventh-round college quarterback who made the transition to slot receiver. But Dolphins coach Brian Flores said this past week that such comparisons are premature.
▪ Ford led all receivers in the scrimmage in both receptions (five) and yards (72).
Asked if he has liked what he has put on tape in the battle for the slot receiver job, Ford said: “Yes. Each day, I focus on the little things and try to get a little better.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick spoke late last season about the trust he had developed in Ford because of his knowledge of the system and reliability. Receivers coach Josh Grizzard said Ford has such command of Miami’s offense that he could be a coach one day.
SCRIMMAGE STATS
Some unofficial stats from the scrimmage beyond the quarterbacks:
▪ Matt Breida had seven carries for 33 yards, Jordan Howard 9 for 12 and Myles Gaskin 4 for 10. Patrick Laird, making his way back from a shoulder injury, did not carry the ball, nor did running back Salvon Ahmed, who was claimed off waivers from the 49ers on Thursday.
Tagovailoa ran once for eight yards.
▪ Final receiving numbers beyond Ford’s 5 for 72 and Perry’s 2 for 62: receiver receiver Preston Williams 3 for 24, tight end Mike Gesicki 3 for 15, receiver Ricardo Louis 3 for 21, receiver Chester Rogers 2 for 25, Gaskin 2 for 8, tight end Adam Shaheen 1 for 10, receiver Gary Jennings 1 for 13, Howard 1 for 3 and fullback Chandler Cox 1 for 9.
Receiver DeVante Parker did not participate in the scrimmage but does not have a serious injury, an associate said.
DEFENSIVE LINE IMPROVED
▪ One thing that’s clear about this team through 10 practices: The defensive front is much improved. Defensive ends Emmanuel Ogbah and Shaq Lawson have been enormous upgrades. Both have routinely generated pressure on the quarterback, and Ogbah had at least one would-be sack on Saturday.
“I’m excited we got two guys on the edge who can rush the passer and set the edge,” defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said. “Big things to come. It makes it easier for the guys inside, when you have guys who can beat 1 on 1s. It makes it easier for the [defensive tackles].”
▪ Rookie third-round pick Brandon Jones, who said he has worked at safety and nickel corner in camp, also has impressed McCain.
“Brandon is going to be good for us,” McCain said. “High energy motor, runs around, makes plays. That’s what we need in the back end.”
▪ Godchaux, on rookie fourth-round pick Solomon Kindley, who remains very much in the mix for a starting job at guard: “He has great feet for a big guy. He’s very aggressive. He needs to keep being consistent. The sky is the limit for him.”
Meanwhile, center Ted Karras said rookie left tackle Austin Jackson has “done a fantastic job.” Jackson had his hands full with Shaq Lawson on Saturday, allowing a sack.
▪ Among those who impressed in Saturday’s scrimmage: Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill.
Consider this: With 357 career coverage snaps, Grugier-Hill has never allowed a passing touchdown and has limited quarterbacks to an 83.6 passer rating in his coverage area. He started 10 games for the Eagles in 2018 and six last season.
Here’s my Saturday exclusive on the Dolphins trading Raekwon McMillan to the Raiders and what it means.
Here’s our Saturday Team Miami Herald report with details on the Dolphins’ scrimmage and a Ryan Fitzpatrick update.
This story was originally published August 29, 2020 at 2:52 PM.
