ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Miami Dolphins are in Detroit for two days of joint practices starting August 13 before playing their second preseason game at Ford Field on August 16.
Miami held a closed practice on August 12. Prior to that, coach Mike McDaniel met with the media via Zoom.
Here are the highlights:
Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips close to returning
On the injury front, when it comes to the stars, McDaniel said receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and LB Jaelan Phillips could return to practice this week. “We’ll see how it plays out,” he said. “They’re definitely in the conversation for sure.” Hill is out with an oblique injury, Waddle and Phillips are nursing minor injuries.
CB Cam Smith and S Dante Trader are expected back on the field.
Though nothing has been said about Darren Waller being injured, McDaniel said this is not the week the recently signed tight end will play. The Dolphins are bringing him along slowly after coming back from a one-year retirement.
Alexander Mattison neck injury not career threatening
The Dolphins will miss running back Alexander Mattison, who suffered a season-ending neck injury in the preseason opener at Chicago. But McDaniel made it clear he was not the only one who could solve their short-yardage issues.
“We weren’t solving any short coming of our game with one player,” McDaniel said. “He was starting to make some plays that were deserving of carries. He wasn’t brought here to solve a problem; it was part of a solution that was much bigger than just him.”
McDaniel said although Mattison is out for the season, the injury is not career-ending.
What McDaniel is looking for in joint practices with Lions
Rather than looking at individual matchups, the coach said he’s more focused on “entire units trying to come together. What wins and loses are collective bodies of people moving in unison.”
Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson beef ‘not in vain’
McDaniel called the incident between linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson at a recent practice, and their subsequent coming together, a galvanizing moment.
“Teammates, brothers, they forgive and actually sometimes grow closer,” McDaniel said. “It’s not normal to have any sort of work place or brotherly beef attached to an organization but … the important thing is things like that aren’t in vain. I say with absolute certainty that wasn’t in vain for the expressed relationships I have seen since.”
Ollie Gordon II learning how to ‘flourish’ without ball
Rookie RB Ollie Gordon II had eight carries for a team-high 33 yards and a touchdown, but McDaniel wants to see how he, and all rookies, do when the ball is not in their hands.
“You can’t just be in the game when you get the ball,” he said. “That’s the worst tell in America. You have to be able execute 1/11th of the necessary execution on every other play. He ran some good routes. The main thing is the dependability and his ability to align and do all the things we ask a back to do.
“I want to see his play flourish when he doesn’t have the ball as well as when he does.”
Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jaelan Phillips close to returning
Reporting by Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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