Dolphins Notebook: Practice Report; Player Tryouts; Baker, Palardy Talk Awards, More

The Miami Dolphins worked out five players Wednesday, while one veteran was absent at the walk-through

The Miami Dolphins conducted their one practice of the bye week Wednesday, and it was a walk-through before the players went their separate ways for the weekend.

What stood out in terms of attendance was the absence of veteran defensive tackle John Jenkins and, perhaps more significantly, center Michael Deiter being spotted with a walking boot on his left leg.

Deiter played every snap in the 20-9 victory against the New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday in his return after missing nine games with an injury that was listed as foot/quad.

Because the Dolphins don't have a game Sunday, there is no injury report until next Wednesday, so there probably won't be more clarity on his situation for several days. But it clearly is a situation that will bear monitoring.

DOLPHINS HOLD TRYOUTS

While they had their bye, the Dolphins took a long at five players Wednesday, according to the league wire.

NFL workouts and visits @SportsTalk790 pic.twitter.com/QhyFuX5nIK

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) December 8, 2021

The Dolphins gave tryouts to linebackers Asmar Bilal, Te'Von Coney and Erroll Thompson, as well as wide receivers Tommylee Lewis and David Moore.

It's the wide receivers who clearly have more experience because the only linebacker of the group with any NFL regular season game experience is Bilal with two games with the L.A. Chargers in 2020.

Lewis played 49 games with four starts with the New Orleans Saints, for whom he was mostly a return specialists. Moore has played 49 games with 14 NFL starts and had his best season in 2020 when he caught 35 passes for 417 yards and six touchdowns for the Seattle Seahawks. His best outing of the season came against the Dolphins in Week 4 when he had three receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.

BAKER TALKS PAYTON AWARD

Linebacker Jerome Baker proudly showed off his trophy Wednesday for being named the Dolphins nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award and made clear just what the recognition meant to him.

“Actually it was earlier this year and I remember just talking to my friends and I’m one of those people like if I speak it into existence, that’s when I feel like it could happen," Baker said. "I said like, ‘I want to be nominated. I want to win that award.’ I didn’t really care about Pro Bowl and all that. It was to have that award, I feel like that’s a very special award. That was the thing. I definitely said it and just to be nominated is definitely an honor.”

Baker said the idea of giving back if given the chance was something that was instilled in him at an early age.

"My dad, he had a non-profit called Men of Central," Baker said. "He started that when I was 7 (years old) and honestly it was truly just my family. It was me, my dad, my mom, my sister and that’s how it was. We used to go to parades and he used to have these big banners. You would think it’s a hundred people with us, but it was only me and him holding it up and my sister and my mom was in the car riding along. And that slowly built up to him having a great organization. So when I got old enough, that was like my mission. I wanted to do the same thing. He had the blueprint and it was my job to make it better. So shoutout to my dad. He definitely instilled that in me and I’ve been blessed my whole life. Just to give back, it’s always been one of those things where if I can give back, I definitely want to do it.”

PALARDY PLEASED WITH AFC WEEKLY AWARD

Likewise, punter Michael Palardy expressed his satisfaction Wednesday at being named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

“It means a lot," Palardy said. "It’s my first time getting it. I’d be foolish to sit up here and take the credit for it. A lot of it has to do with Coach (Danny) Crossman, Coach (Brian) Flores, the guys on my punt team, the gunners. Those guys work their butts off. This is more of a unit type of award than it is for myself. I’m only as good as they are and vice versa.”

FLORES' FOCUS

Those who cover the Dolphins for a living have heard head coach Brian Flores repeat time after time after time his focus is strictly on the next opponent, on the next practice, on the next item on his agenda.

It's a message that he's clearly passed on to his players.

There was evidence of it Wednesday when tight end Mike Gesicki was asked whether he's allowed himself, particularly during a bye week, to think about the possibility of the Dolphins making the playoffs.

“Yeah, I mean if you know anything about Brian Flores, I am not even allowed to think about what I’m going to have for dinner tonight," Gesicki said Wednesday afternoon. "So I haven’t had lunch yet, so that’s really what I’m focused on. (laughter) And that’s kind of where we take it from there. So we’re not looking too far ahead and we’re not looking behind. Just kind of focusing on the present and what we’re dealing with right now.”

FORMER DOLPHINS NEWS

-- Running back Kenyan Drake was placed on injured reserve by the Raiders, three days after suffering an ankle injury that prompted him to take to social media to call for the NFL to outlaw tackle where defenders use their body weight to bring down a ball carrier.

Graphic Video Warning: The #NFL needs to look at this specific style of tackling. They are throwing flags for taunting and protecting qbs from getting touched but this is my 2nd straight season being injured by a guy pulling me back and using his body weight to roll up my legs. pic.twitter.com/zgJt4rM9yG

— Kenyan Drake™ (@KDx32) December 6, 2021

-- There finally was some positive news regarding the career of former Dolphins first-round pick Ja'Wuan James, who returned to practice for the Baltimore Ravens for the first time since sustaining a torn Achilles tendon in the offseason. While it remains a long shot that James will be able to play this season, this still was encouraging for James, whose journey since leaving the Dolphins as a free agent  as included being limited to three games in his first year with Denver because of a knee injury; opting out in 2020; being cut by Denver after sustaining the Achilles injury; and finally signing a two-year contract with Baltimore.