The Dolphins concluded the 16th practice of training camp Tuesday with splash plays, highs, lows and an overall message of developing consistency. Perhaps the most consistent element of this camp has been the Dolphins' running game, led by Pro Bowl running back De'Von Achane.
The slippery fourth-year back glided into the end zone on a 29-yard scamper Tuesday through a hole opened by tackle Patrick Paul and guard Kadyn Proctor. Paul widened the lane, Proctor sealed it and Achane found it. Paul was asked after practice what he likes about this team's run game.
"What I've been liking about it is the physicality," Paul said. "I think everyone has the same idea of how it's supposed to look and what the standard is. So, I think everyone's bought in to what it's supposed to look like, so it shows."
There were more explosive runs coming off the right side, too. Achane stuck his foot in the ground on a cutback, finding a completely collapsed right side of the defensive front, thanks in large part to center Aaron Brewer, guard Jonah Savaiinaea and tackle Austin Jackson.
Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik was asked the same question posed to Paul: What do you like about this run game?
"The versatility of what our personnel allows us to do," Slowik said. "You can get on the perimeter; you can get on the edge… It's more duo-ish up the middle. You can do inside zone. You can do stuff with Malik in the run game. Obviously, Von (Achane) has speed to get to the edge. He can hit it up in the middle as well."
The success in the passing game Tuesday went through the rookie wide receivers. Caleb Douglas caught a pass for 35 yards, Kevin Coleman Jr. made a beautiful grab in the corner of the end zone and Chris Bell caught his first passes of 11-on-11 work this summer, including a third down chain-mover from quarterback Malik Willis.
"He's a really big dude," Slowik said. "He's a really fast dude. He's hit some wild numbers on GPS, considering his size. He's got great hands. He's a tough tackle. So I mean, you could do a lot of things with that."
Head Coach Jeff Hafley said he would like to see Bell play Friday in the preseason finale against the Falcons, barring any setbacks this week.
Despite some of the fireworks, there was plenty to improve upon from an offensive perspective. Pre-snap penalties, drops and balls on the ground were a bit too frequent for Slowik's liking.
"We have probably what's going to wind up being one of the younger offensive rosters in the NFL," Slowik said. "And just the consistency of our assignments as a starting point is definitely something that we got to continue to improve upon. We're well aware we got a long way to go, and it starts with just doing our job first. And then within that, making sure our techniques are right, our fundamentals are right."
Defensively, edge Chop Robinson was a menace once again. His added power element, with heavy hands to strike his man, has led to a camp of dominance. He's paired an electric burst off the snap with a keen ability to two-gap in the run game, setting the edge before working back inside to defend multiple gaps.
Behind Robinson, rookie cornerback Chris Johnson had a big day that included a pair of pass breakups in the one-on-one period.
The linebackers also got their hands on footballs. Willie Gay Jr. and Jackson Woodard secured interceptions, while Cam Riley's pick was returned for a touchdown. Rookie Jacob Rodriguez had a sack on a play in which he came clean on a blitz.
Wednesday is the final practice of Dolphins camp. For more coverage from camp, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
