Dolphins training camp Day 2 report: What life without Xavien Howard would look like

It was admittedly a little dramatic when Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, who is in a contract dispute with the team, came out to the team’s second day of practice, stretched with teammates, then left the field.

And for about 15 minutes it was a scramble to find out what happened.

No, he wasn’t leaving as part of a planned walk out.

No, it wasn’t that he was suddenly traded.

He’s got a minor unidentified injury he’s dealing with, per a source.

So crisis averted.

(Howard, if you aren’t aware, is seeking an adjustment to his current contract, so he can increase his 2021 salary. He has also requested a trade from the Dolphins because he is not happy.)

There has been no progress on the front, per a source. And coach Brian Flores earlier Thursday morning declined to say definitively Howard would be on the team at the start of the regular season.

Anyway, the team’s best defensive player leaving practice presented the Dolphins with an opportunity.

It was a chance to see what life without Xavien Howard might be like.

And it’s like Noah Igbinoghene would have to step up. Or Nik Needham would have to step up. Or Justin Coleman would have to step up.

If Howard gets to steppin’ a lot of remaining Dolphins defensive backs would have to step up.

It makes sense Igbinoghene would be the so-called next man up. He was, after all, a first-round pick last season. And he was the cornerback the team turned to as a starter when Bryon Jones was injured last year.

So how did Igbinoghene look on Thursday, the team’s second day of practice? Well he wasn’t challenged a ton, which is a statement on co-offensive coordinators Eric Studesville and George Godsey. In the real season, a starting corner is down, you go after his backup.

The Dolphins offense didn’t do that Thursday. Obviously they had a script for practice and stuck to it, regardless of personnel.

Igbinoghene wasn’t picked on in any way. So no significant opportunities.

But Igbinoghene did give up a red zone drill touchdown to Mack Hollins on a 12-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa. He was also beaten on a slant by Albert Wilson and a deep incut by Jaylen Waddle but Tagovailoa overthrew the pass to Wilson and threw behind Waddle for incompletions.

Nik Needham wasn’t as fortunate when Isaiah Ford got behind him and a safety and backup QB Jacoby Brissett connected on a 50-yard bomb.

Needham otherwise was not active in a big play sense for the defense or against the offense.

And, yes, it’s one practice. It’s controlled.

But watching Miami’s younger corners makes it obvious that while a trade of a disgruntled player who has asked out might be something to consider, there could be consequences.

One such consequence is clearly that Miami’s secondary would offer opponents a huge weakness to exploit until or unless somebody such as Igbinoghene suddenly grows into the role.

McKinney struggles in coverage

The Dolphins adjusted linebacker Benardrick McKinney’s contract just prior to training camp, effectively cutting his salary by $4.75 million this year in exchange for lopping the final two years off his deal.

So McKinney is now on a one-year deal.

And Thursday’s practice showed McKinney might be mostly a run-down linebacker.

Because he got a little picked on in coverage.

Myles Gaskin beat McKinney on a wheel route out of the backfield for a long gain down the right sideline.

And Salvon Ahmed went straight up the left sideline for a 50-yard-plus completion over McKinney.

McKinney again found himself chasing Gaskin in a red zone situation when the running back scored on a 12-yard reception.

McKinney struggled to keep up with either running back.

Tagovailoa, by the way, completed all three big-play passes.

Another explosive play from Wilson

Albert Wilson, who had the biggest play of the day on the first day of training camp when he caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa, came back with another explosive catch Thursday.

He drifted all the way across the field left to right and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa after he got behind Byron Jones.

(It’s unclear if Jones was chasing because he had man coverage or because no one picked up Wilson once he left the zone Jones was responsible for -- it seemed like it was Jones’s man.)

The point is Wilson, who opted out of the 2020 season, has gotten off to a very promising start this training camp.

Dolphins coach Brian Flores said before Thursday’s work that Wilson had “a good practice” and “a solid practice” on Wednesday but there details such as alignment that he needs to clean up.

Still, explosive plays were Wilson’s signature when he was fully healthy early in 2016. And he seems to be doing that the first two days of this training camp.

This and that ...

Linebacker Jaelan Phillips continues to make strides toward a starting role with the Dolphins, based on the first two days of practices ... Flores said he wants his best players on special teams and so it is no surprise that first-round pick Jaylen Waddle is getting a lot of special teams work as a returner ... Backup QB Jacoby Brissett, who had a good day on Wednesday, followed up with another solid performance against the No. 2 defense on Thursday ... None of the players who missed practice Wednesday returned on Thursday. Xavien Howard and Will Fuller, who practiced on Wednesday, did not practice on Thursday.