More than 70 Dolphins players show up for voluntary workouts, and one shares his thoughts on new offense

Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin has several reasons he left his hometown of Seattle to participate in voluntary workouts at the team’s Davie facility this week.

The South Florida weather. The apartment he is renting. The relaxed protocols in the area for restaurants and other leisurely affairs.

Oh yeah, and to learn the “new” Dolphins offensive playbook before the 2021 season, especially after a successful 10-6 campaign last years.

But most importantly?

“I was living at my parents’ house. You know that goes,” Gaskin, 24, said with a smile on Monday.

“It’s cool and all — until they want you to clean up the bathroom or something.”

A month ago, Dolphins players stood in solidarity with the NFL Players’ Association, releasing a statement that said they would skip voluntary workouts at the team facility this offseason for health and safety concerns.

But on Monday, more than 70 Dolphins players backtracked on their initial notion by reporting to Dolphins facility for the second phase of the voluntary offseason program on Monday, the South Florida Sun Sentinel confirmed.

According to NFL Network, the influx of Dolphins players came as a “result of a negotiation between the players and coach Brian Flores to lower the exertion level. Accordingly, players showed up to learn.”

“It was a good amount of us,” Gaskin said to reporters after Monday’s session.

“I know we’ve been having these Zoom meetings. Guys were excited to get out there, walk through. It was very slow pace. But just getting in that huddle, having somebody call plays, it’s different than just reading off flash cards.”

NFL players know they must get into game shape for the season, but do not care to participate in grueling football workouts in May and June with training camp beginning in late July, and the league to begin playing a 17-game regular season before the playoffs in 2021.

And while NFL players released statements saying they would not report for voluntary workouts, players were reminded the harsh reality of the NFL’s labor deal which allows teams to not pay players if they sustain an injury outside the facility.

Just look at former Dolphins first-round right tackle Ja’Wuan James, who suffered an Achilles tendon tear and was released by the Denver Broncos last week before a season in which he could have earned at least $10 million.

The Dolphins players’ initial statement on April 6 read: “The most significant fact from that discussion was the health and safety benefits of a fully virtual offseason. Last year, league-wide injury data showed players experienced a 23% reduction in missed time.”

This offseason, teams like the Dolphins are ensuring players and coaches have taken the COVID-19 vaccine and begun instituting relaxed mask-wearing protocols inside and outside their facilities.

The time together this offseason will also allow for players and coaches to foster their chemistry with one another unlike last season, where they were restricted to Zoom meetings and personal workouts due to the pandemic until training camp last July.

“You just build that camaraderie. This year will be so much better than last year because guys will be able to do that,” Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts said. “Last year, you had to build it through the year so quickly through training camp and stuff like that.”

Back to the Dolphins’ offensive playbook:

Gaskin offered some new insight regarding the team’s offense, constructed by running backs coach Eric Studesville and tight ends coach George Godsey, Miami’s co-offensive coordinators.

“The playbook, it has changed,” Gaskin said. “It’s much different than last year’s.”

Gaskin, who has been coached by Studesville, says he can often see how his position coach’s offensive mind clicks and moves while they’re discussing offenses.

And because of that, Gaskin said he and other running backs like Patrick Laird and Salvon Ahmed had a feeling of “not that we understood what it was going to be, but what it was going to look like.”

“Just seeing what [Studesville’s] input has been on it, along with George, how they came to bring one offense together, obviously it’s a process,” Gaskin said.

“I’m excited for some things. But at the same time, I’ve been around [him] for a long time and I know what he likes and wants things to look like.”

As for any further insight, Gaskin did not divulge much.

After all, it was just the first day of their offseason program where veterans could join the rookies. Monday’s session brought a basic install walk through, with hopes players would know where to simply line up at first.

The Dolphins will look to incorporate some more run-pass-option facets to their offense to benefit quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who ran that system at Alabama.

“It’s a whole new playbook. It’s not the same as last year,” Gaskin said. “Everyone is open minded and soaking it all in right now.” ...

The Dolphins were awarded cornerback Trill Williams off waivers from the New Orleans Saints on Monday.