What happened on Day 2 of Dolphins’ joint practices with the Texans?

The biggest development from the Dolphins’ joint practices with the Texans in Houston occurred on Thursday, when starting left tackle Terron Armstead sustained an apparent right leg injury on the first play of 11-on-11 drills.

The injury forced Armstead to leave the field and he was eventually taken into the Texans’ facility on a cart. He later posted a video to social media of himself walking and was transported on a cart back to the Dolphins’ belongings.

Armstead on Wednesday told reporters he was still working his way back into form after an offseason knee procedure that forced him to spend the first six days of training camp on the active/physically-unable-to-perform list. The Dolphins may have avoided a major injury to one of their most indispensable players, but his situation brings into focus Miami’s contingency plans. The entire offensive line struggled when Armstead was not in the lineup last season.

Coincidentally, before practice, McDaniel spoke about the team’s reserve tackle options and said he was comfortable with their depth.

“I don’t even know who the third, fourth tackle are right now,” McDaniel said, “and that’s a good thing because the score’s not settled. However, I do know that play will be up to the standard that I’ve been used to over my NFL career of what you have to have as an NFL caliber player at that position.”

Here are other observations from Day 2 of the Dolphins’ joint practices with the Texans:

▪ Wide receiver Tyreek Hill told reporters after practice that he wasn’t supposed to participate. He wasn’t seen in one-on-one drills against Texans’ defensive backs. But afterward, he was a participant in 11-on-11 drills and he made a compelling case that he doesn’t need many, if any, reps in the preseason. He was again a standout on offense, catching multiple passes downfield, including a 12-yard pass from Mike White during seven-on-seven red zone drills.

“I wasn’t even supposed to practice today, but I just had to find a way to get the guys going,” he said. “One-on-ones were kind of slow for us. We began to pick it up. But no, I just love competition so much. I feel like I just can’t get away from it. The trainer, he told me we’re going to ramp you down a little bit. You can just chill today. You can relax. I only get one chance to play this game that I love because I know it’s going to go by fast. I can remember yesterday when I first got drafted and came into the league. And here I am in year eight, doing what I love. So there’s not many jobs where you get to work outside and have fun and run fast and run by people and score and you get a crowd reaction. So, I’m just enjoying every moment of it, and then I got my kids out here with me so that’s even better for me. So, I’m enjoying it.”

▪ Hill wasn’t in for the final drill for the Dolphins’ offense, a 2-minute situation in which the drive started at Miami’s 25-yard line, and the offense was down by seven points. It was a disjointed possession that included multiple short passes from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to running back Raheem Mostert and eventually ended around the Texans’ 45-yard line with time expiring.

The drive not only excluded Hill but was without Armstead and wideout Jaylen Waddle. Hill doesn’t appear to be dealing with any injury but it was a reminder that the Dolphins’ hopes for another great season on offense don’t just hinge on the availability of Tagovailoa but that entire quartet.

▪ After throwing a pair of interceptions on Wednesday, Tagovailoa took care of the ball on Thursday and connected with wide receiver Braxton Berrios on a deep completion of about 50 yards. While a Texans linebacker told Tagovailoa he was not swayed by Tagovailoa’s eye trickery on Wednesday, McDaniel said that’s all a part of the learning process within the offense.

“He probably made 10 plays yesterday that were absolutely fantastic doing the same thing,” McDaniel said. He added: “I think it’s important to emphasize that you have to take each [turnover] individually.”

▪ Tagovailoa didn’t have much success in seven-on-seven red zone work but his backups got into the end zone. Skylar Thompson found rookie tight end Elijah Higgins for a 12-yard score on a seam route and then White connected with rookie tight end Julian Hill in the back of the end zone. On the score, Hill bumped into McDaniel — who was watching behind the goalposts — and knocked his sunglasses off. It seemed like McDaniel, who always has a one-liner near, had a witty comment for him and the first-year player helped pick up his glasses.

▪ While Thompson had a nice touchdown throw in the short red zone work, he was also intercepted by corner Desmond King. White also had an interception dropped by the Texans.

▪ Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips recalled after practice how George Fant, then playing for the New York Jets, had his way against Phillips in his rookie season. “I had no answers for him at all,” Phillips said.

The roles were reserved this week, a testament to Phillips’ growth as a pass rusher. He dominated the matchup in both practices and again recorded multiple would-be sacks in team drills. He also recovered a fumbled handoff during the Texans’ 2-minute drill but the possession continued on.

▪ It was another good outing for the Dolphins’ defense in team drills. Corner Eli Apple was beaten by wideout Nico Collins for a long score but otherwise, the unit continued to get pressure on rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Safety Jevon Holland intercepted Stroud on. a deep attempt.

Attendance

▪ The following players didn’t practice: cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey, Justin Bethel and Keion Crossen; wide receivers Waddle and Braylon Sanders; backs Alec Ingold and Myles Gaskin; and safety Brandon Jones.

▪ Rookie cornerback Cam Smith continued to wear a red, non-contact jersey. After sitting out all of team drills on Wednesday, he took. a few reps on Thursday.

▪ Late in team drills, rookie defensive tackle Brandon Pili sustained an apparent injury and was helped to the sideline by trainers.