Dolphins 2023 Camp: August 4 Practice Observations

What stood out during the eighth practice of Miami Dolphins training camp

Highlights, lowlights and observations from the eighth practice (day 10) of Miami Dolphins training camp Thursday:

-- The Dolphins had an interesting practice Friday, one that featured about 20 minutes of work in a heavy — and we mean heavy — downpour (yes, redundant, but we're trying to make a point here).

-- Right off the bat, the two things that stood out from practice was a big day for wide receiver Robbie Chosen, whose camp had been very quiet up to the point and some great by Tua Tagovailoa in the final series featuring third-down work near the end zone.

ERIK EZUKANMA OUT, CAM SMITH LEAVES EARLY

-- We'll start off with the attendance check, including cornerback Jalen Ramsey again making his way onto the field, but this time without his crutches or a brace around his left knee but rather a long compression sleeve. Let's just say it was a rather surprising sight a week removed from surgery to repair his meniscus.

-- There was another change with another prominent Dolphins player, with tackle Terron Armstead taking snaps in team periods for the first time this camp.

-- Wide receiver Erik Ezukanma did not practice after sustained an apparent injury Thursday, and LB Malik Reed and CB Keion Crossen continued to be sidelined. DBs Brandon Jones and Trill Williams again wore red (no-contact) jerseys and had only limited snaps in team periods.

-- Rookie cornerback Cam Smith left practice early after slipping in the end zone during an early red zone drill. It would be a shame if he were to have to miss any amount of time considering how impressive he's been.

-- Linebacker Bradley Chubb was a full participant, a day after he was seen shaking his right arm after a play in team drills late in practice Thursday.

-- Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips wore the orange jersey as the top performer from Thursday.

ROBBIE CHOSEN, TUA TAGOVAILOA SHINE

-- Chosen was on the receiving end of the two longest plays of practice, receptions from Tua and from Mike White. On the first, Chosen got himself wide open behind cornerback Tino Ellis before catching a pass that would have gained somewhere around 50 yards. On the second, he caught a pass in front of a defender near the sideline for a gain in excess of 40 yards after White stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure from Emmanuel Ogbah, who had his most active practice of camp.

-- While that was Tua's longest completion of practice, he had several throws that were more impressive, starting with a Mahomes-like no-look pass when he stared at the sideline to his left before hitting Durham Smythe in the slot. He later had a nifty 5-yard touchdown pass to Braxton Berrios near the sideline at the goal line against tight coverage.

-- But Tua saved his best for last, with three consecutive touchdown passes, including two to Jaylen Waddle. The first came against the blitz and the last when he threw the ball right as Waddle made his cut on a quick slant. In between he threw a strike to Raheem Mostert at the goal line before Mostert made his cut to beat the defender.

-- Mike White also had an impressive passing day, highlighted by a beautiful touch pass over a linebacker and into the hands of rookie tight end Julian Hill, who again was very active in the passing game. White also had a 25-yard completion to Berrios, who found himself wide open in the middle of the field.

-- Berrios was on the receiving end of another noteworthy play after he caught a backward pass from Tua inside the 5-yard and Noah Igbinoghene threw a shoulder into him before he reached the goal line. Igbinoghene broke up a White pass intended for Chosen in the end zone a few plays later.

CHANNING TINDALL AND OTHER DEFENSIVE HIGHLIGHTS

-- Defensively, linebacker Channing Tindall was way more noticeable than usual. He had a tackle for loss on a run by Salvon Ahmed early in team sessions and before Tua's last series had a stop at the line against running back Chris Brooks and a pass breakup against Cedrick Wilson Jr. on a throw from Skylar Thompson.

-- As usual, the defense had a number of "would-be sacks," though exactly how many as usual depends on who's doing the scoring.

-- Zach Sieler did come free on Tua on one pass play, the result of a clear mix-up up front.

-- Jaelan Phillips got close to Tua before a deep incompletion and at the very least would get credited with a QB pressure. The same goes for Ogbah on White's long completion to Chosen..

-- Defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman also should get credit for a sack against Thompson.

-- Tight end Eric Saubert had a tough two-play sequence when he dropped a Tua pass in the backfield and then committed a false start.

-- The passing game clearly was affected when it started really pouring, and that included Ahmed failing to catch a pass a little bit out of his reach but catchable and the ball coming out of Thompson's hand as a knuckleball when he tried to throw downfield to Braylon Sanders.

-- On Tua's next-to-last series, the defense got two sacks, one by Ogbah and the other by Raekwon Davis that really should be credited to the coverage.

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