The rookies hit the field yesterday for the first time as Miami Dolphins. Coaches were finally able to put the rookies through some drills and see how they could handle the Miami heat. All eyes will be on the players the Dolphins drafted, but a handful of UDFA’s could end up making this team as the Dolphins look to get younger. You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below. I Said It: Brian Flores On Dolphins Rookies Head Coach Brian Flores addressed the media before the start of practice at rookie minicamp Friday. Here were some comments that stood out, along with some perspective: Dolphins Offensive Line Miami Dolphins want to extend Laremy Tunsil’s contract | Miami Herald News and notes on the Miami Dolphins plan for contract talks with left tackle Laremy Tunsil, why Xavien Howard is so valuable and what the Dolphins think of Jordan Mills and the looming competition at right tackle. Dolphins Defensive Line Dolphins won’t try to change ‘energetic’ Christian Wilkins | Miami Herald Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores insisted Friday that he will let Christian Wilkins, the team’s first-round pick, be himself. ‘I think he has a great personality.’ Dolphins Secondary Xavien Howard’s evolution from Houston's Fifth Ward to Miami Dolphins - Miami Dolphins Blog- ESPN Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard was able to escape his high-crime neighborhood. His sister did not. Miami Dolphins: Why Brian Flores wanted Xavien Howard around long-term - Sports - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL DAVIE — When Dolphins coach Brian Flores sat down and watched every snap of Xavien Howard's 2018 season, he was impressed.Like really, really impressed. "He's got good length," Flores said Friday. "He's got good strength at the line of scrimmage. He's got really good ball skills. Dolphins Rookie Minicamp Top News: Rookie Minicamp Places Emphasis On Fundamentals A total of 50 players took the field Friday when the Dolphins conducted their first practice of rookie minicamp. Phinsider News You May Have Missed Dolphins announce official list of undrafted free agent signees; 18 UDFA rookies to join the team - The Phinsider The Dolphins have added nearly 20 undrafted free agents to compete for roster spots this summer. NFL Draft 2019: Review Miami Dolphins pick Andrew Van Ginkel - The Phinsider The Miami Dolphins used their first three selections in the 2019 NFL Draft to add defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, trade for quarterback Josh Rosen, and pick offensive lineman Michael Deiter.... Miami Dolphins News 5/10/19: Dolphins Add Jordan Mills To Offensive Line - The Phinsider Welcome to the Splash Zone, the quickest way to get your day started off right. We bring you a rundown of Miami Dolphins news from the last 24 hours.<doc-sep>Facing an NFL suspension if he gets signed by another team after being waived by the Cincinnati Bengals, former Miami Hurricanes running back Mark Walton got a tryout in rookie minicamp with the Miami Dolphins this weekend. Mark Walton had 14 carries for 34 yards and five receptions for another 41 yards as a rookie for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018. Cincinnati cut the former Miami Hurricanes running back after three arrests in three months. Walton left the Miami Hurricanes football team after he missed over half of his junior season in 2017. Walton finished his Miami career with a year of eligibility remaining rushing for 2,006 yards, adding 624 receiving yards and 28 total touchdowns. He was on pace to set the Miami Hurricanes record for both rushing and total touchdowns before suffering the season-ending injury in 2017. Walton was arrested in January on felony charges of carrying a concealed weapon, marijuana possession and reckless driving. Police found 14 grams of marijuana, a nine-millimeter carbine rifle and several fully loaded clips in Walton’s BMW. Walton ran from the police after getting tased. Walton is getting a second chance to play in the NFL with the Dolphins at their rookie mini-camp this weekend. Walton’s former Miami Hurricanes teammates quarterback Malik Rosier and wide receiver Darrell Langham are also in the Dolphins rookie mini-camp. Walton faces a suspension in 2019 if he is signed by any team. When the Bengals released Walton in April new Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor said it’s important for Walton to get a new start somewhere else. It was the Bengals way of respectfully releasing Walton because of his indiscretions. “It’s important for our team to get off to a fresh start as we begin the 2019 season. For that reason, we felt it best if we move forward without Mark Walton. We hope his situation gets resolved, but we don’t want to take anything away from the good work that so many other players have already begun to demonstrate.” Walton was expendable because he was a backup with the Bengals. Cincinnati drafted Walton in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Cincinnati’s leading rusher the last two seasons, Joe Mixon was charged with misdemeanor assault in college at Oklahoma after breaking a woman’s jaw. Important players tend to get far more leeway than those who are on a roster’s fringe. That has changed in the past few years. The Carolina Panthers cut defensive end and the Kansas City Chiefs let running back Karim Hunt go after they committed violent acts. Ray Rice never returned to the NFL after domestic violence. Reduce the number of assaults & result in players, coaches & admintrators being held accountable. I believe in the power of bystanders. I don’t work w perpetrators. I work with everyone around them. The vast majority of players will never commit a sexually violent act… — Brenda Tracy (@brendatracy24) May 11, 2019 Walton is thankful for the opportunity with the Dolphins. He seems to realize this could be his last chance. Walton spoke with the Sun Sentinel’s Safid Deen and the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero about being in minicamp with the Dolphins and what happened in the offseason. “I’m just thankful to be here,’ I’m trying to leave an impression on the coaches. I’m trying to leave a lasting mark on them. I can’t really say too much about the other stuff [off] the field. But I know what I got to do while I’m here. That’s all I can talk about right now. Coach Flores, from the few days I’ve been here, I see he is a competitive guy and he wants to win. I can just look at it the way he brought me in, and that shows a first-year head coach, he’s bringing me in with the rough offseason I’ve had. It shows a lot about him and his character. I’m trying to do all I can do to show the team what I’m about. There’s a lot of things that’s happened this offseason but right now my focus is on the task and right now that’s the Miami Dolphins and that’s all I can talk about,” Walton said. Walton has been through a lot. His father died when he was seven. In February 2018 his daughter was born prematurely and then his mother died after suffering a stroke. He continues to persevere. Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has been impressed by what he has seen out of Walton thus far. “We want to definitely take a look at him and see if he was a fit for us on the field and off the field. I think he’s done a good job really in the one day that he’s been here. We’ll see how it goes. “It was discussed. Obviously [general manager] Chris [Grier], myself, [vice president] Brandon [Shore], our staff. Definitely it’s something we discussed. But again, it’s a tryout. That’s kind of part of the process, getting to know him and getting to see him both on and off the field. I’d say, I think, you know, I think people deserve a second chance. I believe that. I think that’s the case and I don’t want to judge people on one incident, two incidents. It’s a case-by-case situation for a player and people in general. That’s kind of my stance.” Walton faces an uphill battle to make the Dolphins roster. He should have a good chance to get to training camp with them or someone else. Miami currently has Kenyan Drake, Kalen Ballage, rookie Myles Gaskin and fullback Chandler Cox on the depth chart at running back. Getting a chance with the Dolphins is critical for Walton. The arrests are going to haunt Walton at least until there is a resolution. Players like him who are on the fringe of a roster seldom get as many chances as more established or talented players. Showing his leadership skills and being a model citizen from now on is the only way for him to have an NFL Career.<doc-sep>General manager Chris Grier, who is responsible for handing Flores a decent roster, has to know that following this offseason’s roster purge that got rid of four defensive ends, Miami’s best edge players are Charles Harris, a former first-round pick who has flirted with the bust label for two years, and Tank Carradine, an NFL journeyman who played in one game for the Oakland Raiders last season before requesting his release, which was granted.<doc-sep>“I’m trying to leave an impression on the coaches. I’m trying to leave a lasting mark on them. I can’t really say too much about the other stuff [off] the field. But I know what I got to do while I’m here. That’s all I can talk about right now.”<doc-sep>
AP When the Dolphins traded for quarterback Josh Rosen two weeks ago, it quickly became fashionable to suggest that he’ll be the starter for a year and then possibly supplanted (again) by a first-round rookie. Before that can happen, Rosen will have to win the starting job. Coach Brian Flores made it clear at Friday’s rookie minicamp session that the starting quarterback job will indeed be determined by competition, and that Flores would have no problem with baby-carrots-and-birthday-cake-fed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick emerging as the victor. “If he wins the competition, absolutely I’m good with that,” Flores said, via Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I think that would be what’s best for the team and best for the Miami Dolphins. . . . That would be the same at all positions. We’re going to play the players we feel that are going to win us football games.” But what of the concern that Rosen not playing would make it harder to determine whether he can be the quarterback in 2020 and beyond? “Thankfully, we get to evaluate him every day in practice,” Flores said, smiling. Maybe Flores was smiling because he realizes that practicing and playing are two very different things. For the Dolphins to truly evaluate Rosen, Rosen needs to play. Of course, if he can’t perform well enough in practice to win the starting job, maybe that’s the answer to the second question. Regardless, unless the competition is #rigged, the best man will play, with the goal of the Dolphins winning as many games as possible this year. Even if that runs counter to the sense lurking at the highest levels of the organization that the best way to thrive over the long haul is to at some point perform so poorly that a 10-plus-year franchise quarterback can be drafted.