Rain, rain, go away.
The Miami Dolphins’ first of two joint practices with the Chicago Bears has been a long, drawn out and complicated affair — inclement weather forced the teams to push pause on practice before transitioning inside and, before long, the team was back outside but considered “closed” for coverage purposes, meaning the rest of practice carries on without any real-time coverage from media in attendance.
A bit of a downer for Dolphins fans hoping for real-time discussion on the progress of the offensive line and Tagovailoa? Perhaps. But there’s already been some news reported this morning about the team that can create quite the stir by itself.
Injury updates.
If you’re looking for a bit of sunshine peaking through the Chicago storm clouds, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores revealed this morning that 1st-round draft pick Jaelan Phillips will be back in action after missing the last week with a minor leg injury. Phillips will need the practice time in his bid to join fellow rookie Jevon Holland in a push for a starting role on the defense. Brennan Scarlett has had a strong camp and could very easily absorb the early down reps before rotating to Phillips early in the season. But with a healthy preseason and a strong performance, Phillips may force the Dolphins’ hand.
But it wasn’t all good news with the injury issues — as three of Miami’s top receivers were declared out of Wednesday’s performance against Chicago. DeVante Parker, Will Fuller and Albert Wilson are all shelved for Wednesday’s practice; Wilson and Parker have apparent minor tweaks. Parker’s issue is reportedly a stubborn hamstring.
But Fuller has not practiced since Day 1 of camp, which is beginning to cause a stir and a bit of concern for his assimilation into the passing game. The Dolphins will certainly not rush anyone back into action, but at some point one does begin to wonder if the revamped receiving corp will be watered down by nagging issues to some of their top targets.