Miami Dolphins coaches dish on team’s rookies. And why one unheralded vet is playing more
There’s just a three-game sample size for Dolphins rookie draft picks so far — and two of them (Jason Strowbridge, Malcolm Perry) — have not played.
But here’s the early coaching feedback on those who have:
Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey likes what he has seen from rookie offensive line starters Austin Jackson at left tackle and Solomon Kindley at right guard.
“Obviously those two have played pretty well thus far,” Gailey said.
Can he say with conviction that those two look like they will be quality starters for a long time?
“To say a guy is going to be a [good] player for a long time, I wish I had that ability,” Gailey said. “I don’t have that ability. They are playing well. They need to continue to improve. [But] they do have that ability to be very good players before it’s all over with.”
The Dolphins’ other rookie draft pick on the offensive line — second-round tackle/guard Robert Hunt — has played a handful of snaps when the team uses a sixth lineman as an extra blocker.
“Hunt has done a good job,” Gailey said. “Strong player, strong man. Has more learning to do to learn the speed of the game. We’re trying to get him some snaps, get him some plays, so he knows the speed of the game and what it is going to take.”
As for the rookies on defense, first-round cornerback Noah Igbinoghene went from being roasted by Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs to doing excellent work against Jacksonville’s receivers in Week 3, when he allowed only one completion in three targets, for just 2 yards.
“It’s no surprise,” defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander said. “We knew [his mental toughness in his] evaluation throughout the draft process. He’s a developing player but he’s a competitor. There isn’t a guy in his career who hasn’t had a rough day in the office. Accepting the challenge of a new opponent and looking at things... to get better allowed him to have ‘quote unquote’ a bounce-back day. With the mentality of the kid, you knew what we were getting.”
As for rookie third-round safety Brandon Jones, his speed and tackling have been an asset, but he has allowed all 11 passes in his coverage area to be caught for 88 yards (according to Pro Football Focus), after being victimized in that area at Texas last season. Is that something he can improve?
“That’s a thing he definitely can improve on,” Alexander said. “Just looking at things on tape, there are a lot of things he can do in man coverage from a technical standpoint and win with leverage or in zone... having the vision to break on the quarterback. He is a developing player that has the tools and has a great skill set that we’re continuing to build on day to day.”
As for second-round defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, he struggled badly in Week 1, played much better in Week 2 and was OK in Week 3.
Asked if someone of his size (6-7, 330) should be a high-level run stuffer (something Davis isn’t quite yet), defensive line coach Marion Hobby said:
“He’s getting better each game. He’s very conscientious about his game. Eventually he will be really good football player. Let’s not make him Reggie White just yet.”
THIS AND THAT
The Dolphins have split nickel cornerback snaps this way through three games: Jamal Perry 77 snaps, Nik Needham 54 and Tae Hayes 15. Perry was the primarily corner in the slot in Week 1 and Week 3.
Alexander said the Dolphins would continue to alternate players at that position. Hayes is on the practice squad, but NFL rules allow them to promote him for two games this season without clearing a spot on the 53-man roster. The Jacksonville game was the first of those two.
“A lot of it is based on game plan, might be based on matchup in the slot or whatever our defensive plan is for a given week,” Alexander said. “You want a guy strong-arming the position, but we have a couple different guys with a couple different skill sets that we can be a little more versatile how we use those guys based on the opponent we’re facing. That’s our position at nickel until noted otherwise.”...
Among the reasons Zach Sieler played second-most among defensive tackles on Thursday (less than Christian Wilkins but more than Davon Godchaux and Davis): “Zach is a 6-6, 315-pound guy who plays with outstanding motor,” Hobby said. “His motor never stops running. Really active. He did earn his playing time, jumps out at you at game day.”
Here’s my Tuesday piece on why rookies Malcolm Perry and Lynn Bowden Jr. aren’t playing.
This story was originally published September 29, 2020 at 1:15 PM.
