Five camp story lines to watch as we enter the Miami Dolphins’ COVID-19 inner circle
Next week, it gets real.
The pads come on.
The media is allowed in.
And the COVID-19 testing becomes daily for the lucky few given the most access to the team .
I had my first coronavirus test Thursday. I’m grateful it came back negative. If Sunday’s test is the same, I will be allowed to watch practice Monday in its entirety — rain or shine.
There’s much to learn. The regular season begins in a month, and all we really know about this team is what coach Brian Flores, his staff and his players have told us in a handful of news conferences.
Usually by now, we would know who the first-team right guard is, how the Dolphins are incorporating their rookies and if developmental players such as Josh Rosen have taken a step forward.
We will know much more by Monday evening than we do now. So until then, here is list of the top five story lines I’ll be following next week:
1. Is the Dolphins’ quarterback battle real or theoretical?
Using all the contextual clues we have, Ryan Fitzpatrick is on a glide path to starting Week 1.
The Dolphins have made a point to promote him publicly. He knows coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense better than anyone on the team. Tua Tagovailoa acknowledged Thursday he still has a ton to learn. Rosen seems more likely to be quarantined as an insurance policy this fall than see the field.
But likely does not mean certain. Things could change in the next month. Tagovailoa could ball out. Rosen could take a huge leap forward. Fitzpatrick could regress.
2. Who are the starting five on the offensive line?
As of now, Jesse Davis is the only sure bet to start Week 1. And we don’t even know where. Could be right tackle. Could be right guard.
And after that, things get truly murky, particularly considering Ereck Flowers has spent the past two weeks on the reserve/COVID-19 list. If Flowers recovers, he’ wil be the left guard.
We think Ted Karras will start at center, but Michael Deiter, Keaton Sutherland and others are trying to beat him out.
After that? Anyone’s guess. Julien Davenport and Austin Jackson vie for the left tackle spot. Robert Hunt, Solomon Kindley, Shaq Calhoun, Danny Isidora, Davis, Sutherland or Deiter could start at right guard. And Davis or Hunt will likely be the Week 1 right tackle.
3. How will all of those new defensive pieces fit into the Dolphins’ front seven?
The Dolphins loaded up on defense this offseason.
They signed edge defenders Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah plus linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Elandon Roberts. They drafted defensive linemen Raekwon Davis, Jason Strowbridge and Curtis Weaver.
It’s the biggest one-year injection of defensive talent in recent Dolphins memory. And they already had a decent foundation with Christian Wilkins, Raekwon McMillan, Jerome Baker and Davon Godchaux.
Who’s a linebacker? Who puts a hand in the dirt? Who drops in coverage? It will probably change every down.
4. How’s the team’s health beyond coronavirus?
A dozen Dolphins players returning from last year finished the 2019 season on injured reserve: Xavien Howard, Preston Williams, Bobby McCain, Jakeem Grant, Raekwon McMillan, Ricardo Louis, Danny Isidora, James Crawford, Gary Jennings, Kalen Ballage, Ken Webster and Myles Gaskin.
Some injuries were minor. Others, like Howard’s knee issue and McCain’s shoulder, required surgery.
Howard isn’t cleared to practice yet (and even if he were, he’s still out with a COVID-19 issue). But how do the others look? Has McCain added the weight needed to play safety? Does Grant have all of his speed?
The best team probably won’t win the Super Bowl in this strangest of years. More likely, the healthiest team will.
5. Will the TNT wall return in 2020?
Flores last year brought a college feel to an NFL team. He even painted a wall that read “TNT” — for Takes No Talent — and forced his players to run and touch the wall as penance for mental errors.
That old-school approach worked with the youngest team in the league, but will he dial it back a bit now that there are far more veterans on the roster than a year ago?
