Tuesday was the final practice of the offseason open to local media. For the last two months, the Dolphins have been conditioning, learning new schematics, establishing Head Coach Jeff Hafley's standard and hitting the grass for unpadded practices.
Hafley entered the offseason program free of expectations. He's repeatedly stated his desire to go into spring ball with an open mind and allow players' performances to inform him on the best path forward.
It's early. Real football, with pads on and live tackling, hasn't yet begun, but Hafley has been pleased with the past two months of work.
"I like the way it went," he said. "I appreciate the coaches and how hard they've worked. I like the relationships that we have built with the players. I like the guys that we have on the team, the veterans, the guys we signed in free agency, the young guys that we drafted. I like the group. I like the buy-in, I like how hard they've worked. It's just the very beginning, but I'm pleased with their attitudes and effort, which are the most important thing to me."
Tuesday was another foothold in the progress made at the quarterback position. Malik Willis ripped multiple throws into tight windows, progressed through his options and extended plays when time ran out.
"You can't give up on a play, you can't stop," wide receiver Malik Washington said. "He has the ability to make plays after the play is already gone and being ready, because he'll launch it down the field. He can move and put it on a rope."
Washington punctuated a great spring with a stellar practice, making several catches including the longest of the day from Willis, a gain of nearly 30 yards.
Back to the quarterbacks, second-year signal-caller Quinn Ewers demonstrated his growth playing in rhythm with the offense. He layered some intermediate shots including a 40-yard catch and run on a ball up the sideline to running back Donovan Edwards.
"They're more comfortable within the scheme," Hafley said of Willis and Ewers. "They've taken more command of the huddle. I've seen the confidence grow and even the conversation I had with Malik today, walking down the hallway, you can just see he's more comfortable and he understands the answers that are being provided for him on each play. And I just think he looks as good as he looks since I've known him. And I would say the same about Quinn."
Both quarterbacks worked with clean pockets thanks to an offensive line that has shown improvement each week. Rookie Kadyn Proctor showcased the skills that made him a first-round talent Tuesday when he anchored against a bull rush by defensive lineman Kenneth Grant.
"He's a big, powerful dude," Grant said of Proctor. "He definitely can anchor on the bull rush, but he's a great athlete as well. He can move. He has great feet, great hands. He actually has a great center of gravity for how big he is. He plays really low, so definitely battles to come here in training camp."
Grant's growth also caught the eye of the coaching staff this offseason.
"I think he's taking a step forward," Hafley said. "I know he's changed his body. He's faster. He looks more like the guy that I saw in his college tape with his lateral quickness, his pass rush ability, his ability to play the run, just the way he's moving."
Fellow second-year defensive lineman Jordan Phillips and inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks produced sacks during Tuesday's practice.
Safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. picked off Willis during the two-minute drill at the end of practice. Fellow safety Dante Trader had a pass breakup and a forced fumble, while rookie inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who had seven forced fumbles last season at Texas Tech, also punched one free.
The Dolphins will report back for training camp later this summer. Hafley's message to the team:
"They need to get back to work and make sure they come in shape, ready to go," he said. "The message is going to be make sure they're training outside a little bit so when they come back, the heat doesn't zap them. But a lot of them have made huge progress and the worst thing that they can do is not continue to build on that progress because say they're here right now and they go back and they don't do anything. The guys that put in the work these next few weeks, physically and mentally, are going to have an advantage, and if I were one of those guys, I would take every advantage of that."
For more analysis on the day's work, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
