Dolphins’ Flores sends message to Heat and Marlins, updates Byron Jones. And practice news

Here’s what Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores had to say during his Monday morning news conference:

▪ Flores was wearing a Miami Marlins hat in the wake of the team clinching its first playoff berth since 2003.

“Congrats to Derek Jeter, Mike Hill, Don Mattingly,” Flores said of the Marlins CEO, president/baseball operations and manager.

“Same thing for the Heat. Great accomplishment [advancing to the NBA Finals]. They played well last night. Congrats to both organizations — Heat and Marlins. Happy for them. Supportive.”

▪ Flores said cornerback Byron Jones has made progress in the recovery from his hamstring injury but was noncommittal about whether Jones would be ready for Sunday’s home game against Seattle (1 p.m., Fox).

“Byron Jones is working extremely hard to try to get back as soon as he can. It’s important to him. He’s making a lot of improvements. We’ll see how it goes this week.”

▪ On the progress of the offensive line: “They work hard to get on the same page. Collectively, they understand communication is important. [Offensive line coach] Steve Marshall has done a really good job of staying on top of them with fundamentals, techniques, working with one another. Still a lot of improvements to make. Hasn’t been all perfect.

“As a group, we got leadership from the veterans — Ted Karras, Jesse Davis, Ereck Flowers. And the young players — Rob Hunt, Austin Jackson, Solomon Kindley — are following their lead. If we continue to do that, we have a chance to get better.

“Austin, being a rookie, [you see] things he’s learning every time out there. Every different situation whether third down, goal line and how big, strong, fast the defensive linemen in this league are. He’s getting acclimated to that. Hopefully we continue to get better.”

▪ On tight end Mike Gesicki’s development: “We’ve seen a lot of improvement since I’ve been here. [He has improved at] understanding coverages, leverages. Has a good rapport with Fitz [Ryan Fitzpatrick]. He’s talented. You can see the talent show up on game day. Still has a long way to go.

“There are things in his game he can improve on: top of route, releases, blocking. He’s made a lot of improvement. He’s left a few plays out there also. The tight end room with Durham [Smythe] and Adam [Shaheen] work well together. They complement each other well. Consistency is the big thing in this league. That’s what we need.”

▪ On new defensive coordinator Josh Boyer and his staff: “We’ve got a good young staff. I’m excited about each one of these guys.... Hopefully we grow over the course of the season like you want your team to grow over the course of the season.”

Flores said they’re still working on improving communication.

Three new defensive assistant coaches came directly from college jobs: linebackers coach Anthony Campanile (Michigan), defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander (Cal) and outside linebackers coach Austin Clark (Illinois).

▪ On the value of not having roster turnover early in the season, a stark contrast to last season when Miami added 14 players within a week of the opener:

“You want to build continuity and consistency. Easiest way to have that is have the same guys doing the same thing. So eventually you get to the point where you pretty much know what the guy next to you is going to say or so you don’t have to say anything.

“We haven’t made a lot of moves. That could easily change next week.”

▪ On safety Bobby McCain: “Bobby is a very important part of our defense. Safety, you’re a quarterback of the defense. A lot of what he does is getting guys lined up pre-snap so we can have a good post-snap play.

“He’s done a good job of that. In some instances, we’ve been aligned correctly, been in right places, but haven’t made the play. Bobby has played well so far this year. His leadership, his communication. He’s tackled well. We need him to continue to play well and other guys to play the way he’s been playing. His leadership shows up on our team.”

PRACTICE REPORT

Cornerback Byron Jones, who missed Thursday’s game with a groin injury, was the only player not spotted at Dolphins practice on Monday. Cornerback Xavien Howard was working with a trainer.

Three players who have been dealing with injuries were present during the portion of practice open to the media (first 20 minutes): safeties Clayton Fejedelem and Kavon Frazier and tight end Adam Shaheen.

Also back: rookie fifth-round defensive end Jason Strowbridge, who was left home for the Jacksonville game for reasons the team hasn’t explained. The team says he is in good standing, though he hasn’t been active for a game yet.

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