Brian Flores expecting full attendance at Dolphins mandatory minicamp

The Miami Dolphins are seeing their voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) come to a close, with today’s session the last one open to select members of the South Florida media. But there’s another major hurdle on the team’s path to training camp looming on the horizon — the Dolphins will be switching gears from OTAs and welcoming players to the team facility for a mandatory mini-camp. And with the Dolphins among the NFL teams to have most, but not all, in attendance for OTAs, there will be some developments in key storylines for Miami’s talent under contract.

Unless, of course, things proceed how Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is anticipating. Because when asked on Friday morning about the outlook for mandatory minicamp, Flores suggested that he’s not expecting to be missing anyone when they take a headcount on day one.

“I expect to see everyone at the mandatory minicamp,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “We’ve gotten a good number of guys here the past few weeks and we’re happy with it.”

‘A good number of guys’ is not, however, everyone. The most notable absence would be the team’s 2020 ‘Most Valuable Player’, cornerback Xavien Howard. Howard, who is coming off the NFL’s first 10+ interception season in more than a decade, has been tied to reports regarding his contract — and more specifically his desire to have his current deal updated to reflect the elite ball production Howard has put on display when he’s on the field.

To this point in the offseason, there has been no action on Howard’s contract. And while Howard has been away from the team, reports have also suggested that his absence isn’t directly rooted in a desire for a new contract. But it’s the elephant in the room with Howard and the Dolphins and until we see Howard in attendance, skepticism will remain.

But it sounds like, according to the man in charge in Miami, that the expectation exists that Howard will be welcomed to the team facility along with the rest of his teammates when mandatory minicamp opens later this month.