First day of Dolphins’ joint practices with Falcons brings a ‘nice change of pace’

On the outdoor field farthest away from the Baptist Health Training Complex, there was Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle running a comeback route against Falcons starting cornerback AJ Terrell in 1-on-1 drills.

Meanwhile, on the adjacent field, cornerback Xavien Howard was attempting to jam second-year wide receiver Drake London at the line of scrimmage in their round of 1-on-1s.

Later on, offensive guard Robert Hunt was holding his own against a bull rush from Pro Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, while Dolphins quarterbacks and pass-catchers were on the other side of the field moving the ball against Falcons defenders in 7-on-7 work.

The flurry of action in the sweltering heat during the Dolphins’ first joint practice with the Falcons on Tuesday served as a switch-up for both teams two weeks into training camp. Miami will host Atlanta for another practice Wednesday ahead of their preseason opener at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night.

With teams increasingly sitting key players for preseason games — coach Mike McDaniel said he hasn’t made a decision on resting starters Friday — the intersquad sessions have become commonplace for NFL teams to get quality practice reps. And for the Dolphins, it was a welcome change halfway through training camp.

“It’s a team that — you haven’t seen them,” quarterback Mike White said after practice. “And it’s not like in the season where you watch film [and] you know exactly what you’re getting. So, it makes it a little challenging in that part, but it’s nice just going against a team that doesn’t know what you do. It’s cool. It heightens it. It brings the competitive juices out when you’re competing against another team. So, it’s fun. It’s a nice change of pace.”

Offense working through growing pains

Returning members of the Dolphins’ offense entered training camp speaking of the benefits of sustained continuity, and they openly pondered the extent of growth in Year 2 of coach Mike McDaniel’s scheme.

But the overwhelming theme through two weeks of camp has been a unit mainly bested by its defense. McDaniel said the coaching staff and players don’t review practice through a results-based lens, but he acknowledged that it has been difficult at times to gain traction against an equally-hyped defense.

It was a similar scene Tuesday, with each of the Dolphins’ quarterbacks being intercepted in team drills, a lack of success in red zone work and struggles to contain pass rushers.

“We had some good, had some bad,” White said. “And that’s going to be any practice. Nothing’s ever as good as it looks, and nothing’s ever as bad as it looks. There will be some good stuff to learn off of the tape, from all sides and all groups, whatever you want to call it. Just got to get in there, get better from it and build on it [Wednesday].”

Said Waddle: I feel like we started off kind of slow. Kind of found our groove mid to late practice. Definitely not the practice we wanted, but we can learn from it.”

Defense holds up against versatile playmakers

For the Dolphins’ defense, Tuesday’s practice was a chance for the unit to test its progress in a new scheme against an opponent for the first time. And throughout a series of 11-on-11 work, the defense mainly achieved one of the goals of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme, to limit explosive plays.

The Falcons only completed one deep pass against the defense, an approximately 50-yard pass from Taylor Heineke to Josh Ali, with defensive backs Brandon Jones and Cam Smith in coverage. Otherwise, the unit continued to get quality efforts from its defensive front, as well as young defensive backs.

Howard noted Atlanta’s offense offers a different test for the defense than Miami’s, with physical playmakers such as London (6-4, 213 pounds), tight end Kyle Pitts (6-6, 246 pounds) and running back Bijan Robinson (6 foot, 220 pounds).

“It’s different techniques you use going against a bigger receiver than a smaller receiver,” he said.

Howard said his responsibilities don’t change much in the aftermath of Jalen Ramsey’s meniscus injury. And he’s already seeing benefits in the diversity of coverages and techniques that Fangio wants to use in Miami.

“It’s a different technique that we’re doing this year, playing a little bit off and stuff like that,” he said. “I’m so used to just bump and run, so it’s something different, something challenging.”

He added: “It’s something different, like I said. Stuff like that I can use, put in my toolbox. Never know when I’ve got to use it. But when it’s on the line, I’m going back to what I know.”