Dolphins’ McDaniel addresses presnap penalty problem, latest injury, Mike White and more

The Dolphins had a handful of pre-snap penalties the past few days - a problem that bedeviled the Dolphins last year.

“We’re very aware we’re on the heels of being the worst” in the league at that in 2022, Mike McDaniel said Wednesday. “That’s not acceptable. It doesn’t matter if there are quarters that are good if you jump three times in the third quarter.”

McDaniel added: “Nobody wants to jump offsides. We couldn’t have emphasized it more this offseason. The facts are the facts. ‘You’re the worst. I’m the worst.’ When we false start, it’s not something people are very comfortable about.

“You show it in front of the team. You pride yourself as a coach to produce a clean product for the fans to watch.”

The Dolphins had at least three pre-snap penalties in Tuesday’s joint session with the Falcons.

“We had procedural penalties,” McDaniel said. “I’m hoping not to have any today. If we have some, as long as it’s not the guys who did it the day before, I can work with that.”

INJURY UPDATE

The second player to be carted off during training camp received better news than the first.

Receiver Braylon Sanders did not sustain a serious injury when he fell to the ground and injured his knee during Tuesday’s practice.

The injury “did not produce any structural damage,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “We were fortunate. Expect him back in foreseeable future, hopefully next week.”

Sanders is an underdog for a spot on the 53-man roster but seemingly has a good chance to again grab a spot on the practice squad. Sanders was elevated for last year’s game against Detroit.

Sanders was the second Dolphin to be carted off in training camp. Jalen Ramsey, the first player to be carted off, sustained a miniscus injury and is expected back in November or December.

McDaniel addressed other issues before the second of two joint practices against the Atlanta Falcons at the Dolphins’ practice facility:

▪ McDaniel declined to say what quarterbacks would play on Friday against Atlanta at Hard Rock Stadium (7 p.m., CBS-4).

He said the quarterback who plays first on Friday isn’t necessarily the official No. 2 quarterback. “We’ll probably flip the next week.”

Mike White appears the front-runner for the No. 2 job, in a competition with Skylar Thompson.

“He’s had a cool couple weeks,” McDaniel said. “He’s doing a good job.”

▪ McDaniel, on the offense’s performance on Tuesday, when each quarterback threw one interception, and Atlanta had four sacks:

“If the goal is average, than [I’m] super pumped,” McDaniel said. “There’s stuff that irritated me, stuff that pumped me up. We physically strained through the heat against a new opponent.”

▪ McDaniel said that during Tuesday’s practice with the Falcons, there was “some really good play at times at both guard positions and some plays that were not that good.”

On the battle to start at left guard, McDaniel said: “We’re fortunate to have some players worthy to compete to start an NFL game. Not every team can say that.”

Liam Eichenberg and Isaiah Wynn are the prime competitors for that job, but McDaniel didn’t discuss any of the contenders when asked about the position.

▪ McDaniel raved about his running back room and the depth that will allow Miami to keep runners fresh: “I feel really good about the running back room. Each dude has a little niche within the offense. They all know the entire offense.

“They’re all capable of running the ball. Some guys have pass skill sets we can utilize; some guys can really develop their pass skill sets. The depth and the varied skills [at running back] are one of the strengths of our team.”

Free agent Dalvin Cook, a four-time Pro Bowler who would love to play in Miami, remains available. But the Dolphins have been unwilling to meet his asking price.