The first padded practice of the 2026 season is in the books as the temperature turned up Monday in Miami Gardens. The first play of the day was a seemingly innocuous run for a minimal gain, but onlookers witnessed a core principle of their Miami Dolphins, even if they didn't realize it.

Rookie tight end Will Kacmarek executed a punishing pancake block, a common occurrence on his college tape at Ohio State. Fellow tight end Ben Sims recognized that moment as a defining example of what this team wants to be.

"It's one of our core values, toughness, and I saw that play on our script and I said, let's do it," Sims said. "Will (Kacmarek) is those values. He believes in that, so being able to do a counter on the first practice of pads speaks to what we want to be about."

Kacmarek and Sims brought the power, while rookie tight end Seydou Traore chewed up yardage on Monday. Traore started his day akin to Kacmarek with a space-clearing block. He then proceeded to catch a handful of passes for gains of 10-plus yards, including a one-handed grab along the sideline.

That throw came from quarterback Malik Willis, who continues to develop chemistry with a wide receiver who shares the same first name. Willis found Malik Washington twice on long balls, both working toward the sideline across the formation. Willis threw both passes on the move, dropping his arm slot and pushing the ball down the field with easy velocity.

On both plays, the ball carried right over a defender and into the hands of Washington, who was open all day in both the team period and one-on-ones.

The defense produced turnovers, as it has done every day this camp. Inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson capitalized on a deflected pass from Willis intended for tight end Cole Turner. The defense blitzed, Willis tried a quick throw to beat the pressure, but the ball bounced off Turner and into Dodson's arms.

The theme of this Dolphins defense five days into camp hasn't just been the takeaways, but how the unit comes across those turnovers. Tipped passes seemingly always wind up in the hands of a defender, which is no accident. The Dolphins emphasize running to the football in walkthroughs and individual drills and it pays off in 11-on-11 work. Cornerback Ethan Bonner picked off his first pass of camp on a ball that was deflected by safety Major Burns.

Cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and safety Louis Moore also forced fumbles on Monday.

The pass rush helped speed up the operation, too. Edges Chop Robinson, Cameron Goode and David Ojabo had two sacks each. Robinson continues to flash the power that comes with his added weight.

The Dolphins are back on the field Tuesday for another open practice, starting at 9:30 a.m. While admission and parking are free for all training camp practices, fans are encouraged to RSVP here or by visiting the 2026 Miami Dolphins Training Camp page in order to receive the latest attendance information, schedule updates, learn about exclusive giveaways and more. Learn more.

For more coverage from camp, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.