The Dolphins were back together at the Baptist Health Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University when the 2018 offseason program opened Monday.
Players began showing up early Monday for Phase One of the nine-week program, which will last until the middle of June.
Phase One lasts two weeks and activities are limited to strength and conditioning, as well as physical rehabilitation.
Phase Two follows the next three weeks and features on-field workouts that may include individual player instruction and drills and team practices conducted on a "separates" basis. No live contact is permitted, nor are offense vs. defense drills.
The final four weeks feature 10 days of Organized Team Activities (OTAs). No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.
The Dolphins' first OTA of 2018 will take place Tuesday, May 22 and the last will be Thursday, June 14. The Dolphins will have one mandatory minicamp for veteran players from June 5-7.
The Dolphins also will be able to hold a rookie minicamp either the first or second weekend after the NFL Draft, which is scheduled for April 26-28.
New tight end: The Dolphins added former Dallas Cowboys second-round pick Gavin Escobar to its group of tight ends Monday. Escobar, who starred at San Diego State, was the 47th overall selection in the 2013 draft. He was the third tight end selected that year, following Tyler Eifert and Zack Ertz. Escobar appeared in 62 games for the Cowboys his first four seasons in the NFL before playing two games with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, and has seven career starts. Escobar has 30 career receptions, good for 333 yards and eight touchdowns, including a career-high four in 2014.
Contracts for alums: For the second consecutive year, the Dolphins will recognize the contributions of former players by signing them to one-day contracts so they officially can retire as member of the organization. Tackle Vernon Carey, wide receiver Chris Chambers, defensive end Jeff Cross, defensive end/linebacker A.J. Duhe, punter Brandon Fields and defensive tackle Paul Soliai all will be in Davie on Thursday for the ceremony.
