LB Elandon Roberts
(What do you guys get out of joint practices, and now when you get back here, you’re going against each other again. What’s the difference?) – “In a joint practice, you get a chance to see other teams and practice their schemes. In practice amongst each other, we’re able to still practice a different scheme and get better as a defense. The advantages go hand-in-hand. It’s just how you look at it.”
(We just had RB Chase Edmonds up here. How much of a headache is it having those speed guys?) – “It’s challenging but it gets us better for teams that we’ll play this year with a lot of backfield speed. We look at it as an opportunity to be able to see it early and know how to adjust to it and know how to play with our techniques and stuff like that. It’s a good thing we’re able to see it in our own practice so we get chances to rep at it.”
(What was the vibe like on the sideline pregame with Head Coach Mike McDaniel?) – “Locked in. Locked in just like every coach. Even the players that weren’t playing, we were all locked in, seeing what Tampa was doing, giving input to the guys when they got to the sideline and vice-versa with the coaches. We all work together as a team and working together as a team, that’s what’s going to get us to where we want to be.”
(We saw DT Christian Wilkins taking notes. Did you guys have somebody in your group doing something like that?) – “Everybody has their own thing and Christian, his thing is a notepad. Everybody is different.”
(How are you feeling? We spoke to you back at the beginning of the offseason and you said the process is a lot different this year because you’re not rehabbing. How do you feel?) – “I’m feeling good. I’m ready to go. I’m feeling good.”
(Did you ever face RB Derrick Henry when you were with the Patriots? What’s he like? I’m sure he’s a handful to tackle. He’s getting up there in age right now, but he’s still got to be a force to be reckoned with.) – “You can’t look at age too much. I think something that’s a problem is they look at people’s age but he’s still putting up big numbers every year. Is he aging or is he getting younger? Derrick is a great back and I’m pretty sure he’s going to be at the top of the league once again this year.”
(They say he’s a guy that wears on you as the game goes on. Is that true or is that a myth?) – “I don’t know. I haven’t played Derrick in a little minute.”
(We talk a lot about the offense and how they are trying to build up a new scheme. You have a lot of continuity on defense. What are the talking points on a day-to-day basis when you do have so much continuity and you know the defense but you’re trying to perfect it? What are the points of emphasis for the defense on the day-to-day?) – “The points of emphasis are always the same. Play technique sound, play within the defense, trust your teammates and everything will fall together. That’s one thing we look at day-in and day-out in practice. To answer your question, just because the group has been together for so long, we’re able to take steps in different directions to make our defense evolve a little bit more and stuff like that. But right now, the good thing about training camp is we’re able to control what we can control and get better at what we can get better at. Training camp is a constant, just getting better at fundamentals. That’s one thing when you’re in the nick-pick of a game is you’ve got to go back to your fundamentals. That will bring you to where you want to be brought to.”
(When you talk about evolving, should we expect some wrinkles in the defense or something like that?) – “The NFL evolves every year. I expect it in all 32 teams’ defenses that everybody should evolve and you will see little nuances in every team. Just like the media. That question, you probably didn’t ask that last year but you’re evolving as a media guy. (laughter) That question I didn’t expect it from you, but you’re evolving as a guy. You’re getting good. (laughter)”
(As a defender, you’ve got to like a practice like today. Six interceptions from the defense.) – “That’s just how we hold ourselves as a standard. If that’s not the standard – turnovers win games. We have to (pride) ourselves in it and going against our offense and being able to do that is good. We’ve just got to be able to put it together when it’s time to go on Sundays.”
(What about some of the guys – S Brandon Jones got two, CB Noah Igbinoghene got one, what’s that like?) – “I think all of those guys, just like the total defense, we hold ourselves to a certain standard, and each day they come to practice with that same standard. It’s a good thing. There’s a standard between the whole defense.”
(You’re another year away from that knee injury. How different do you feel this year compared to this time last year?) – “I feel a lot different. I got my speed back. It’s going to be a good year. I’m blessed that God gave me the ability to heal up the right way and be able to feel back to normal and be able to put the best product of Elandon out there for the Dolphins.”
RB Chase Edmonds
(What was it like to watch the offense run and operate on Saturday? What were your thoughts watching it?) – “I loved everything about it. Obviously it was a new experience for me coming from a team for four years, so you get a new feel for everybody on game day, just kind of a new routine and how everything goes. I loved being out there with the guys, cheering the guys on, and hopefully I can get out there this weekend. Hopefully.”
(What do you think of the operation of the run game? I know Tampa Bay was committed to stopping it.) – “It’s a new offense for us all right now. We’re still installing a new scheme and I think as you get more game repetition – because you know it speeds up from practice to the game. Just continue to hone in on your technique, hone in on your rules, look at the film, figure out what we have to do to correct it and go back to work the next day.”
(Was it encouraging to see the way play-action worked off of it?) – “Yeah, it was very encouraging to see the way the play-action worked and just really the displacement of the defenders, really making them guard all aspects of the field. That was a good thing to see.”
(How is it going to help, if they keep all of you fresh obviously, with you and RB Raheem Mostert and RB Sony Michel and RB Myles Gaskin. How much is it helpful in that regard?) – “It’s very helpful keeping the bodies fresh. Coach (Mike) McDaniel obviously will have a plan going into the season, and whatever the role is that he has for each individual, it’s all about going out there and really doing your role to the best of your ability. Figuring out what it is that you’ve got to do for the team and figuring out what you’ve got to do for yourself to continue to be the player that you want to be.”
(I know you signed early in free agency. Before Drew Rosenhaus finalized the deal, did you have a conversation with Head Coach Mike McDaniel about what your role would be?) – “I did not. I wanted to play for Coach McDaniel because the outside zone scheme intrigued me. I felt like that’s something I could really do with my skillset. I feel like it fits my abilities and it’s something that once I get a grasp of, I’ll be an expert at it.”
(Is starting important to you? I think all of us probably expect you to be a starter here. Is that important to you?) – “No. I’m a team guy. Whatever my role is, I’ll be the best at my role. That’s how I look at it. That’s how I look at this game.”
(What is it specifically about this scheme that fits your skillset?) – “I just like how with outside zone, you’re stretching the defense laterally. When you’re displacing the defense, you’re making them have to cover a lot more field. It opens up certain lanes and certain holes that I’m able to take advantage of. I remember seeing a play we had – it was early in training camp. We were running an outside zone to the left and there was an unblocked man in the hole. But because you have everyone stretching laterally, there can be an unblocked man in the hole and I can still press that hole, make him miss and get back to a back gap – a gap one space behind it and still make a positive run out of it. Sometimes with inside zone, you’re working more vertical so the space is a little more tight. I feel like here when we stretch people laterally, that’s really what I do best. That’s pressing holes and bursting through the hole.”
(Does that give you more latitude to pick your spots?) – “Yes, exactly. I’m not the biggest back obviously, but when I have a lot of space and a lot of holes to play from, I do a really good job I feel like of just playing cat and mouse with certain defenders, and knowing angles and knowing lanes and being an expert at that.”
(You will have ended up playing with possibly three of the top 10 or 20 wide receivers of the past 15 years with WR Larry Fitzgerald, WR DeAndre Hopkins and now WR Tyreek Hill. WR Jaylen Waddle might be in that group soon. How does that help running backs?) – “That’s going to help us tremendously. With J-dub (Jaylen Waddle), and Cheetah (Tyreek Hill) on the outside, I don’t think there are going to be too many teams that will dare us to play eight men in the box. We’ll have to see obviously once the game starts. But just that in itself right there, with lighter boxes comes easier ways to run the football. Having those guys, those deep threats, really keep the safeties honest. You can’t have a safety down at eight yards because we can beat you with a go ball with those guys. That is a tremendous help for us in the run game.”
(Did you get a chance to talk to RB LeSean McCoy?) – “Yeah, I did. He is my mentor. So after I’m done with you all, I’m going to go over there and holla at him a little longer.”
(What about his game do you try to model your game after? What about him made him so special?) – “It’s very hard to do that. Shady is like the modern-era Barry Sanders. I think the closest one to Barry ever. Certain things I like to model after him is how he plays with defenders in the hole, how he does a quick one-two and a nifty miss. He makes people miss in space. Obviously I try to keep the ball secure. (laughter) I know how he handled the ball. But just find the ways of how I play with defenders and how I can better myself as a scat back to more so a receiving back.”
(Inaudible) – “It’s a business. They are going to be the first ones to tell you that. I feel like when you play in this business as a running back, your shelf life is very short. So keeping the body healthy, keeping the body fresh is of utmost importance, honestly. I’m ok with it. Obviously whatever is asked of me, I’m going to do it to my full capability and go from there.”
(You still want the ball?) – “You still want the ball, but you’ve got to pick and choose where you want it at I feel like. It’s all about staying fresh and staying healthy so you can have as many years in this league as you can possible. Maximize your time.”
(How excited are you to get on the field for your first home game on Saturday?) – “I’m excited. We don’t know the plan yet obviously with playing time and everything like that, but I’m excited to get out there at Hard Rock (Stadium). I’m excited to see how this scheme feels in game speed and really get game reps with the o-line.”
(The defense the last couple of years was really good at closing out games and we saw some of that today. Did you learn that firsthand today?) – “Yes, I learned it. I’ll give the defense the credit. But I will say, when you practice two-minute (drills) in practice as opposed to games, there are certain balls and certain tight windows that a quarterback might not throw in a game, but you want to get that feel, you want to see what you can get away with. I’m not going to give them all the credit this week. (laughter) But they did a great job of closing it out, for sure.”
(When did you and Barry Sanders meet?) – “I’ve never met Barry Sanders. I was saying Shady (LeSean McCoy) was the closest thing to Barry Sanders.”
(Does it ever get to a point in training camp where it’s hard to judge one unit against itself? Because you’ve been practicing against each other for so long.) – “That’s why I liked the joint practice with Tampa. You really got a different feel for different personnel on the other side of the ball, obviously different schematics. You’re going against people that you don’t really know. You are tired of going against the same defense every so often. I kind of like that feeling because now we go back to going against our defense again. We’re kind of really trying to perfect our scheme. We get different looks versus them as we will when we play Philly next week, or as we will when we play Vegas this week. I’m looking forward to joint practices as long as guys do a good job of taking care of each other and practicing like pros. It’s a good way to get a feel for where you’re talent is at, what your weaknesses are and what your strengths are as a team, as a whole.”
(We talked to you a couple of weeks ago and you talked about getting the feel for the system, a new scheme to you. I just want to get progress update on how you feel you are now compared to where you were last month?) – “I’ve still got a lot of work to do, but I feel a lot more comfortable. I’m getting the flow of it, I’m getting the tracks of it down more. Just to really be able to feel it and really feel how fast it’s going happen in the game, that’s something I’ve got to be able to see to pick at what I need to work on more for a game. In terms of just flow and track, I’m definitely getting a feel of it.”
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(Could you please give us an update on CB Byron Jones? Do you still expect him back for the start of the regular season?) – “The processes remain the same with regard to very hopeful. The entire time we’ve all known, including Byron, that things have to hit on all cylinders without having a setback for that to be the case. Nothing has changed in that regard. We still – he’s still in that part of the timeline where it is unknown. As of now, he hasn’t had any setbacks, so still extremely hopeful. I believe in the player and the human being, so we hold the same optimism as we did before for him coming back to Week 1. Ready to adjust if need be.”
(What kind of football activities is CB Byron Jones doing now?) – “There’s change of direction, there’s rehab, there’s – that’s an area of the medical development, coming back from an injury that I don’t pretend to be an exact scientist on. It’s a progression-based deal that you’re trying not to have any setbacks as you proceed. He’s moving around. He’s exactly where we thought he would be at this point with some change of direction stuff being incorporated on a daily, but in terms of football drills, whether he’s peddling or running or moving side to side, he’s just moving. He’s not playing with other people around him right now, so I’ll let you know when that comes about.”
(How long do you have to see personally of him going out there and working out before you put him out there on the field?) – “That’s a case-by-case basis because you’re going with unknowns, right? So like how much does someone that has one accrued season that maybe has played his position four, six, eight or 10 games – that’s different than Byron who’s excelled at the position for extended periods of time. So he does have to do it before the game, (but) it’s case-by-case to me. That’s how I look at everything. You kind of have to use your brain with that, but I wouldn’t put him on the field for the first time during a game. But the exact timeline for him is a little shorter being all of his production at the NFL level, all the stuff that I know exactly what he should look like. I know what he looks like when he’s playing his full speed game, so it’ll be easier for me to kind of make that decision because of my familiarity watching him for an extended period of time at every team he’s played on.”
(Does the staff view CB Mackensie Alexander primarily as a slot who could allow CB Nik Needham to go outside if needed? Or will CB Mackensie Alexander be an outside player?) – “So you try to – initially, you know what a guy has played. There is a portion of the process, especially with a player like that, where you want them to earn their ability within your exact scheme. So the versatility of inside and outside I think is nice for us. Everybody knows where he’s had his production from, but I try not to say – every defensive scheme has their specific techniques. Sometimes, like for instance, we just played a team, Tampa Bay, where if you watched one-on-ones or whatever, they’re man-to-man coverage. They don’t necessarily re-route as much as our guys do. The reason why I say that is I’ll never be 100 percent committed to, ‘OK, this guy is only this,’ always leaving the options open fully knowing that he has experience. We watch tape, too, but we would rather, especially with that particular player, let him earn his keep. I wouldn’t want to say, ‘Hey, you can’t do something.’ We were just going for the best player, inside or outside, available and let the chips fall with that in his hands.”
(But did you feel like there was a need for an inside guy?) – “Really I felt like there was just a need for a competitive NFL defensive back. I’m not particularly worried about inside or outside. We like Nik Needham’s versatility. Luckily, we have a group of athletic, diverse players on the backend that can really – that versatility is a huge strength. So to me, the only way – we were afforded an opportunity. It’s hard to get competition that has a chance to make the team in the middle of camp. So when you have a good player out there that you work out, that has already been on your radar before you had any injuries, I wasn’t really concerned with, ‘Hey, we’re light on inside players,’ or ‘We’re light on outside.’ I just wanted someone that would legitimately have a chance to compete for a roster spot, which I think he does.”
(One more corner question, if I may. With CB Noah Igbinoghene, one thing that you’ve been impressed by and one thing he still needs to work on?) – “I’ve been impressed by his internal fortitude. OK, this is – it’s not lost on me at all the pressures that come in the National Football League, especially when you’re an athlete of his skillset. So he’s done an outstanding job. You have to have a short memory at the cornerback position. He’s really had some maturation and growth this year, from the stories that I heard coming in, where he’s moving onto the next play and competing and not letting himself get down on himself. Where he needs to improve, I would say, is kind of what I was alluding to when I talked to him during the game, is I don’t want him to ever lose his aggressiveness and feel like he’s playing not to get beat. I want him to always compete, have no memory in that regard and just be kind of cutthroat with the game of football, to just trust all of his training. So in times I think he’s being a hair passive, I’ll jump on that and be like, ‘Hey, that’s not you. This is not where you’re at in your development,’ which I think he agreed, which again is why he’s taken some steps forward as a professional.”
(Do you have a coach that may have talked to CB Noah Igbinoghene about the transition of wide receiver to corner and his head, where it’s at in that sense to develop the instincts of a corner?) – “I think they’re just – I wouldn’t say I had a coach directly responsible for that. I think all coaches are responsible to know where their players are coming from, including the head coach but every coach that touches those players to best reach them and to know where they’re coming from, you have to know their experiences. So that can be used as a negative or a positive that you’re a position switch. Obviously, I think that you should present it and get him to understand that it is a positive, that you know what it feels like to be a receiver. So how does your play and your technique, how does that invite X, Y or Z from the receiver when you’re playing them? It can be used as a strength as opposed to, ‘OK, well I’m new to the position.’ Well, you’re actually – you have an edge on other people, because you most recently played that position that you’re covering. So I think all the coaches, I put a huge emphasis on knowing their players and where they’re coming from in order to reach them. So that’s a prerequisite with all of the defensive coaches from the top down.”
(Is this week set up so that QB Tua Tagovailoa will prepare to start?) – “This week is set up to not know what I’m going to do. (laughter) No, it is – I get where you’re coming from, you’re just trying to get an idea, so I’m sensitive to that fact. But it is not coach-speak at all. It is direct. I really truly believe in the process and taking in all pieces of information to do what’s best for the team. What I do expect is I expect there to be some players that didn’t play in this last game to play in this game coming forward. When I see exactly where we’re at – and it doesn’t necessarily mean if he has a good week of practice then I’m good, it’s more of where the whole offense is at, what he needs on the field, but also other players that have to play, does that necessitate him playing? To do it the right way, in my opinion, there are so many compounding variables that I would hesitate to say, ‘Yes, he is,’ or ‘No, he’s not,’ because I haven’t made totally that decision. I have a best guess. But again, I let the stuff on the field and what’s best for the Miami Dolphins lead the charge. So about the same timeline as it was last week, I’ll know this week if he’s going to play or not.”
(Do you have a best guess as to what’s going to happen?) – “I mean, I’m not in the game of guess. And c’mon, you guys are too veteran. The second I guess something, now you are tipping the scales one direction because you’ll definitely hold me accountable for said guess. (laughter) So, I won’t tip the scales on that, so to speak, and I appreciate your guys’ patience with me in that regard and your trust that I mean what I say.”
(So, your dress rehearsal will be next week then?) – “(laughter) You know what, as soon as I know, you guys will know. But again, I would be doing a disservice to just arbitrarily say, well typically I’ve always played the starting quarterback in game one. But I didn’t think it was appropriate in this particular situation that necessitated him to have that risk and all the other different variables. Ironically, I think you guys would hope as vested Miami Dolphins enthusiasts that I put that off and taken all the variables to really make the best decision that is hopefully the right decision.”
(What are your thoughts on T Larnel Coleman’s play? And just at training camp, he’s had a lot of …) – “He’s a really cool, cool player. Like everybody on the offensive line, it is ‘What’s the last play you watched?’ He’s had some growth and there have been some areas where it’s been like, ‘Hey man, you need to emphasize this or we need more here.’ I’ve seen him as having a very good camp and I see him having the ability to continue the process and have an even better camp, but it’s been far from perfect, which is kind of the case for most if not all players. I was pumped with him getting out there and what he did during the game. We’ve explained to him what he can do to improve and that’s what this is all for. The biggest thing with players in the National Football League is that you have to go and adjust and get better because the bottom line is the best teams are their best at the end of the season, which means you have to, as a player, continue to develop and get better from coaching and that’s what is awesome about the pre-season, is that you get those opportunities to see without educated guessing, to see firsthand, ‘Is his game going to be better next week?’ We’ll see.”
(Mike, could you explain what happened with TE Adam Shaheen? The trade was made, reverted and then IR?) – “That is a classic example of the process of the National Football League just being spot on. That’s the reason why it exists. He was practicing with nothing holding him back. We 100 percent thought he was 100 percent healthy. Such is the nature of veteran players, you occur nicks along the way and that’s why you have a physical before things can be finalized and the whole trade processed. We were as surprised as I know Adam was, and that was something we definitely didn’t anticipate. But once we got that information, we had to digest it – all of us, including Adam – and once we got back and he got some more opinions, he has decided to get surgery, which puts him on IR and out for the season, which we are in 100 percent support of. But it is a classic example of ‘Why do they have this physical and why are trades not finalized pending that physical?’ I think it was an example of the process or reinforcing the process of why the procedures are as such. It definitely wasn’t anticipated. It was a nice little curveball.”
(You spoke a couple days ago about the fact that you’re committed to stopping the run, putting eight in the box a lot of times. Obviously QB Skylar Thompson is a rookie, but you have QB Tua Tagovailoa in those situations. Is he at a point in this offense where he is empowered to make checks? Overall, can you go through how checks and audibles are incorporated into this offense?) – “We have a little bit of both elements in the offense. You have the ability to go from run play to pass play. There are a lot of times that there’s two plays called, and you have parameters for the quarterback to adjust the play call. It’s not a holistic, ‘alright, everything’s up’. It’s not a Peyton Manning situation where you’re just audibling. That’s not really how we’ve ever played offense. But you have parameters and then there’s a lot of parameters where we’ll go run to run or pass to pass. It all depends on the different things that the defense presents and how you problem solve. Sometimes it’s not bad to run the ball versus an eight-man box. There’s a lot of defensive structures that presents an eight-man box but it’s the illusion of where they’re playing pass first. In the particular instance that was the Tampa Bay game, that was eight-man box that was run first. In those types of situations, we weren’t really going into the game thinking they were going to commit that way, so then that’s kind of play-call driven, like I was calling more passes than runs. It was like, ‘Wow this is intense, they’re overcommitted.’ I think it speaks to all the players that were on the field, as well as Skylar, that I felt without hesitation that I could put them in that situation and that we wouldn’t have penalties or a ton of negative plays and we were going to be able to stay on schedule calling pass plays.
(With the check-with-me system, from what I understood, it could be from one pass to another and not pass to run?)– “It’s all of them. So, we have pass to pass plays that you can check with me. You have run to pass plays, you have pass to run plays or you have run to run plays.”
(So, if you send a pass to pass play to a quarterback, he can never audible that into a run?) – “I mean he could, in theory. That would be cool because then I could take a break on the sidelines. (laughter) I try not to just like pass my job off completely. But shoot, at some point in time – it’s all about empowering the players and if they were ever thinking that way, I wouldn’t refrain and be like ‘I haven’t done this.’ It’s just in my experience, I’ve found that it’s a lot easier for players to not have have the whole playbook at their hands like coaches do. But I guess I would never say never either.”
Miami Dolphins make roster moves
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins today announced they have waived offensive lineman Cole Banwart, wide receiver DeVonte Dedmon and defensive lineman Jordan Williams. The team also waived/injured cornerback Tino Ellis and placed tight end Adam Shaheen on injured reserve.
Banwart was signed by the Dolphins on May 14, 2022. He had three stops during the 2021 season, spending time on the practice squads of the N.Y. Giants and Minnesota and training camp with Tennessee. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with Tennessee on May 14, 2021 after playing collegiately at Iowa.
Dedmon joined the Dolphins on Jan. 27, 2022 after spending two seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League. He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2021 after leading the league in several return statistics. Dedmon was a four-year letterman at William & Mary.
Ellis was signed by the Dolphins on July 27, 2022. He also spent time on Miami’s practice squad in 2020 and 2021. In the spring of 2022, Ellis played for the USFL’s Michigan Panthers, appearing in nine games and recording 35 tackles (26 solo) and one interception. He originally entered the NFL as an undrafted college free agent with New Orleans on April 29, 2020 following a collegiate career at Maryland.
Shaheen joined the Dolphins after a trade from Chicago on July 26, 2020. He played in 28 games with 12 starts for Miami over the past two seasons (2020-21), totaling 24 receptions for 260 yards (10.8 avg.) and three touchdowns. Shaheen originally entered the NFL as a second-round pick (45th overall) by Chicago in the 2017 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at Ashland.
Williams was signed by Miami as an undrafted college free agent on May 13, 2022. He played his senior season at Virginia Tech, where he appeared in 12 games with seven starts. Prior to that, Williams played at Clemson, where he helped the Tigers win the CFP National Championship at the end of his redshirt freshman season (2018).
