Head Coach Brian Flores spoke to the media before practice at the Baptist Health Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University on Wednesday. Here were some comments that stood out, along with some perspective:
"He's one of the most talented guys we have on our team. We're looking forward to giving him a lot of touches this week."
— Running back Kenyan Drake missed some time in training camp and the preseason because of a foot injury, but Flores says the fourth-year player is ready to go for the season opener. Drake should be an important part of the offense in 2019.
"He presents a lot of challenges. This is an explosive player."
— Baltimore's Lamar Jackson is one of the best two-way quarterbacks in the NFL because of his tremendous running ability to go along with a strong arm. Flores says Jackson has shown clear improvement as a passer since last season and added, "This is not a one-trick pony."
"He's played with a little bit better pad level the last few weeks, so that's encouraging."
— Rookie first-round pick Christian Wilkins has made steady progress since the start of training camp, particularly since Flores publicly called on him to improve his pad level during the practices in Tampa. Wilkins is in line to be in the starting lineup for his first NFL game Sunday.
"The good thing with this group is there's a lot of versatility."
— The Dolphins have made several additions along the offensive line over the past several days, and Flores pointed out that the newcomers (Evan Boehm, Danny Isidora and Julién Davenport) all have the ability to line up at more than one position. That will give the Dolphins more options when it comes to choosing a starting five for this week and beyond.
