Mixed news for Dolphins’ second-year players excluding Tua. One makes surprising admission
The conventional wisdom is that NFL players are supposed to take a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2.
And quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been very good so far in training camp; the Dolphins hope that’s a harbinger of things to come.
Left tackle Austin Jackson, selected 18th overall in 2020, has looked capable, though it’s difficult to judge offensive line play without pads. (Tuesday was Miami’s first practice in pads.)
But what about the others?
Rounding up the remainder of the 2020 Dolphins’ class:
▪ Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene: The first week has offered a mixed bag. He has made a few good plays on the ball but has been beaten at times. It’s telling that with Xavien Howard out, Nik Needham has been working as the first-team boundary cornerback opposite Byron Jones, with Justin Coleman in the slot.
“I have expectations for myself,” Igbinoghene said. “I want a big jump in Year 2. I have to prove it. I put a lot of work in watching film and learning the game. I’m still new at cornerback, been playing it three, four years.”
No joke: Igbinoghene, a former receiver, said he has learned the Dolphins’ defense in part by playing the Madden video game. In Madden, “I like to play defense with the Dolphins secondary a lot. I’m getting used to our defense and learning it. I’m playing in the NFL, so I shouldn’t be losing” in Madden.
Pressed into a major role for three weeks because of Jones’ injury in Week 2, Igbinoghene struggled mightily against Buffalo and Seattle but played well against Jacksonville and when needed for a time in the Kansas City game in December.
His overall season numbers were dismal because of the Buffalo debacle: 133.9 passer rating in his coverage area, 17 completions in 28 targets for 306 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
But the Dolphins are still optimistic about his future because he’s athletic, a student of the game and showed improvement in limited opportunities after a rocky start.
He said preparing for his rookie season was difficult because COVID-19 eliminated offseason practices. This year, “there’s been a consistent plan.”
Igbinoghene changed his number from 23 to 9 — the number he wore in high school. But to this point, Needham is ahead of him as the top boundary backup.
▪ Robert Hunt: The transition from right tackle to right guard has gone smoothly. The Dolphins believe Hunt has Pro Bowl potential at the position.
He said he’s fine with moving inside.
“There’s not really a big difference,” he said. “I can say there’s some heavier bodies in there. There are some fat guys in there. I haven’t played it in a while, but I’m starting to get used to it. I got a couple reps in the spring and I’ve been getting some this week at guard. It’s going well.”
▪ Raekwon Davis: The 6-7, 330-pound defensive tackle has played with the first team throughout camp, and the Dolphins expect a big jump.
“I’m way more mature than last year and putting the team first,” he said, adding that he did nothing egregious maturity-wise as a rookie.
There were several positives in Year 1: His 40 tackles were second most among rookie defensive linemen (behind No. 2 overall pick Chase Young).
Pro Football Focus rated him 37th of 126 defensive tackles and 46th against the run.
On the flip side, he missed six tackles (fourth most among NFL interior linemen) and had only one tackle for loss and no sacks.
He showed enormous potential as a pass rusher in his sophomore year at Alabama, collecting 8.5 sacks. But he had a combined two sacks in his final two years at Alabama and none (and 14 pressures) in 240 pass-rushing chances as a rookie. He said improving his pass rush is a priority.
The Dolphins changed defensive line coaches — moving on from Marion Hobby and moving Austin Clark from a linebacker role to defensive line — and that has had an impact on Davis.
“They’re both two great coaches,” Davis said. “Austin is a coach that you’ll be in the game and you’ll be scared to get even a step wrong because you will run back to the sideline and he’ll get on your butt about it. He wants everything to be perfect. He’s the guy to teach you all that. Just make sure you know what’s going on.”
▪ Brandon Jones: He has been around the ball during camp, but pass coverage remains the question: As an NFL rookie, he allowed a 108.6 passer rating in his coverage area, permitting 23 completions in 28 targets for 202 yards and a touchdown. His coverage metrics were poor as a senior at Texas.
On the positive side, he had 62 tackles, a forced fumble and a sack last season. But the Dolphins value his speed and tackling ability and diligence in the film room.
Jones, with the second team during training camp, was as critical of himself as any Dolphins player who has spoken so far in training camp.
“I screwed myself a lot [in 2020] because I didn’t prove to my teammates and coaches that I can be accountable and they can trust [me] in important situations,” he said. “That’s one of the biggest things I wanted to fix going into this year.”
Jones mentioned that he missed making an interception in the end zone against the Jets “because I was too worried about my celebration. That made me sick to my stomach. I learned my lesson.”
▪ Solomon Kindley: His Saturday demotion — still ongoing — from starter to the second and third team has been one of the mysteries of camp.
He started 13 games at right guard last season and the Dolphins this spring moved him to left guard, his position at Georgia. But after working as the first-team left guard as recently as Friday, rookie Liam Eichenberg replaced him in that role and Kindley has been a backup since.
He isn’t complaining and made clear conditioning is not an issue and that he reported at the weight that the Dolphins expected.
Kindley didn’t give up a sack in the first month of last season and finished allowing four sacks and 17 pressures in 448 pass-blocking chances, per PFF. He has the potential to be a very good run blocker.
▪ Jason Strowbridge: The fifth-round pick played only 55 defensive snaps as a rookie, but the Dolphins believe he could develop into a rotation piece. He said conversations with coaches after the season left him believing he must improve his technique.
One positive is he can play end or tackle: “I feel I’m a Swiss Army knife. I can play anywhere.”
▪ Blake Ferguson: He has gone unchallenged in his second year as the team’s long snapper.
▪ Malcolm Perry: With 14 receivers on the roster, the former Navy quarterback faces long odds to make the 53-man roster, but he could land on the practice squad.
Perry had a deep catch in one camp practice but generally has had fewer opportunities than Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant, Robert Foster, Isaiah Ford and Mack Hollins.
This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 1:58 PM.
