Dolphin Digest – August 2019

The Dolphins went through a rather

uneventful spring under new head coach

Brian Flores, but they made progress in

learning the new offensive and defensive

systems being installed by the new

coaching staff.

But now comes a more important time

of the year: training camp.

This is when the Dolphins will be tak-

ing their most significant steps in prepa-

ration for the 2019 season. With that in

mind, we examine every player on the

roster, look back at their spring perform-

ance and their outlook for training camp

and beyond.

QUARTERBACKS

RYAN FITZPATRICK — The outlook

for Fitzpatrick seemed to change drasti-

cally after the acquisition of 2018 Ari-

zona Cardinals first-round pick Josh

Rosen, though it certainly didn’t affect

his performance in the spring. The vet-

eran with the thick beard looked very

sharp in practices open to the media and

he’s going to battle for the starting quar-

terback job.

JOSH ROSEN — Rosen arrived in

time for the start of OTAs, though he

needed some catch-up time after missing

the early weeks of the offseason program.

There were some consistency issues in

the spring practices and he’ll need to

clean that up to land the starting quarter-

back job.

JAKE RUDOCK — The former Uni-

versity of Michigan quarterback was

signed before the arrival of Fitzpatrick

and Rosen and his goal in the summer

will be to impress the coaches enough to

stick around, whether as a third quarterback or on the

practice squad.

RUNNING BACKS

KALEN BALLAGE — After showing a lot of

promise as a rookie, Ballage seems headed for an in-

creased role in 2019. He missed some time during the

spring, but also looked good catching the ball.

CHANDLER COX — The rookie seventh-round

pick didn’t get much of a chance to fully show his

skill set because of the no-pad rules, so training camp

will be the time for the fullback from Auburn to show

the coaches what he could do for the offense.

KENYAN DRAKE — With Frank Gore and Bran-

don Bolden gone, Drake could be in line for a bigger

work load this season. It was a rather uneventful

spring for Drake, which certainly isn’t a bad thing.

KENNETH FARROW — Farrow, who spent some

time on the Patriots practice squad last season, was one

of seven players the Dolphins signed out of the ill-fated

Alliance of American Football this spring. With a lot of

young running backs on the roster, Farrow will have

to impress this summer to earn a roster spot.

MYLES GASKIN — The seventh-round pick

from the University of Washington should have a leg

up in his quest to make the roster because of his draft

status. Because his intangibles are a big part of his

game, he’ll have a better chance to show what he can

do once the pads go on.

PATRICK LAIRD — The undrafted rookie from

Cal will have to beat out Cox because it’s highly un-

likely the Dolphins will keep two fullbacks. Training

camp, with pads on, is when he’ll have to make his

move.

MARK WALTON — The former University of

Miami standout has a chance to revive his NFL ca-

reer after being signed out of the rookie

minicamp, which he attended on a try-

out basis. Walton flashed some obvious

pass-catching skills during spring prac-

tices.

WIDE RECEIVERS

BRICE BUTLER — The veteran

was sidelined for the latter part of the

spring program, and what he does in

training camp and the preseason will de-

termine his role on offense next season.

ISAIAH FORD — The 2017 sev-

enth-round pick is back for a third train-

ing camp with the Dolphins and might

be running out of time. It was a rather

quiet spring for Ford and he’ll need a

strong summer showing to earn a roster

spot.

JAKEEM GRANT — The spring

had to be considered a success for Grant

for the mere fact he was able to take part

in practice after his 2018 foot injury.

Coming off his best season, Grant will

be looking to show in training camp he

deserves an even bigger role on offense.

REECE HORN — Another of the

former AAF players signed by the Dol-

phins, Horn is among the young wide re-

ceivers who will have to flash this

summer to earn a roster spot or land on

the practice squad.

TRENTON IRWIN — A rookie

free agent out of Stanford, Irwin showed

good hands during the spring. But he has

to be considered a long shot to earn a

roster spot.

RICARDO LOUIS — The former

Miami Beach High standout saw his sea-

son come to a premature end when he

landed on IR because of a spring injury.

DeVANTE PARKER — After agreeing to restruc-

ture his contract, Parker showed again in the spring

the kind of ability he’s periodically flashed since ar-

riving as a first-round pick. The key for Parker will be

to continue working on his game while finding a way

to head into the regular season as close to full health

as possible.

KENNY STILLS — Stills, who clearly can be

considered the leader of the wide receiver group, had

an uneventful spring. He’ll continue working in the

summer on establishing a rapport with the quarter-

backs.

PRESTON WILLIAMS — The undrafted free

agent from Colorado State earned a lot of attention in

the spring because of the number of plays he made,

particularly in the red zone. His combination of size

and playmaking ability makes him awfully intrigu-

ing, but he’ll need to show consistency in the sum-

AUGUST 6, 2019 Dolphin Digest 7

DISSECTING THE DOLPHINS

Breaking down each player heading into training camp

Josh Rosen and Patrick Laird

Digest photo/JOEL AUERBACH