Among the visitors at practice Wednesday was Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. Marino was accompanied by his son Michael.

Marino had a brief chat with Head Coach Joe Philbin during practice.

NEW START

New Dolphins fullback Evan Rodriguez took part in his first practice Wednesday.

Rodriguez was claimed off waivers Tuesday after he was released by the Chicago Bears. He appeared in 12 games with five starts as a rookie in 2012 and finished with four catches. He had joined the Bears as a fourth-round pick out of the University of Massachusetts.

“I can do a lot of things,” Rodriguez said. “I can catch, block. I’m just a hybrid that can do a little bit of everything. I feel that I will fit in here. I just need to learn the offense and take it day by day.”

Philbin said after practice that Rodriguez was a player the Dolphins liked when he came out of college.

“He’s a good athlete,” Philbin said. “He had 200-some snaps (in 2012) and we obviously watched that, examined that. He’s a young, developing player and we’ll see. We’ll get our hands on him, get a feel for what he can do.”

NOT ALLOWED

The only Dolphins player on the roster who is not at minicamp this week is first-round pick Dion Jordan, the defensive end from Oregon. The reason for Jordan’s absence is simple: By NFL rules, he’s not allowed to attend because his school is on the quarter system and his school’s academic calendar year isn’t over yet.

The coaching staff obviously is anxious for Jordan to start working with the team, which will happen when training camp starts in July.

Asked about Jordan’s projected role as a rookie, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle said Wednesday: “We haven’t had a chance to see him yet, so it’s difficult to assess that. But he’s certainly an outstanding talent that we’re looking forward to working with.”

COACHING HELP

As was the case with Chad Pennington during a week of OTAs, the Dolphins have a couple of guest coaches helping out this week.

They are David Bowens and Marco Rivera, who have been working with the defensive line and the offensive line, respectively.

Bowens spent six of his 10 NFL seasons as a defensive end for the Dolphins and he finished second the team in sacks behind Jason Taylor in both 2004 and 2005. Rivera, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL as a guard, also had a guest-coaching stint with the Dolphins last spring.

PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS AND NOTES

The Dolphins worked on kickoff returns Wednesday, and the four players used as returners were Marcus Thigpen, Nolan Carroll, Lamar Miller and De’Andre Presley. … Presley had perhaps the play of the day when he made a diving interception against Ryan Tannehill on the first play of a two-minute drill. … Linebacker Koa Misi also came up with an interception, picking off a pass with one knee on the ground. … Perhaps the top offensive play was a beautiful throw by Tannehill to Armon Binns on a fade in the corner of the end zone. … Among the top performers at practice were wide receiver Brandon Gibson and tight end Kyle Miller, both of whom made several tough catches in traffic. … Defensively, cornerback Brent Grimes had tight coverage on Mike Wallace on a couple of deep routes and later intercepted Tannehill in the end zone in a red-zone drill. … After being limited to individual work on Tuesday, defensive tackle Randy Starks was involved in team drills on Wednesday. … Nate Garner’s versatility once again was on display as he lined up at different times at every position on the offensive line except left tackle.

THIS AND THAT

Instead of their normal routine of starting inside the practice bubble before going outdoors, the Dolphins stayed inside throughout Wednesday’s workout because of a thunderstorm that left the outdoor practice field full of puddles. … The musical selections during the calisthenics portion of practice Wednesday were “Prayer” by Rick Ross and “Ain’t Worried About Nothin’” by French Montana.