Minkah Fitzpatrick hawked down an interception on Saturday that made it seem as if the Miami Dolphins’ newest safety was wearing a cape on the back of his jersey.
The Dolphins’ new secondary leader sprinted from the line of scrimmage to the middle of the field to pick off a Zach Wilson pass intended for Tahj Washington, and the crowd of fans attending the Dolphins’ first practice open to the public erupted.
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Football’s back! Or at least it’s on the way.
Fitzpatrick’s interception was the kind of game-changing play the Dolphins acquired the Pro Bowl safety for in last month’s trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which received cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from Miami in exchange for Fitzpatrick, and a swap of late-round 2026 picks in 2026.
It was the type of play the Dolphins didn’t get much of last season, and need to deliver more of in training camp to prove this franchise isn’t rebuilding, and will compete for a playoff spot in 2025.
Here’s a look at 10 things we’ve learned from week one of Dolphins training camp, which leads us into the first few days of padded practice next week.
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Tua Tagovailoa’s holding Tyreek accountable
There’s been a push for more accountability from Dolphins leaders, and that’s led to Tagovailoa personally calling Hill out for his attention seeking antics, which have clearly created some wounds among the team that still hasn’t been healed. According to Tagovailoa, Hill still has work to do to regain the trust of his teammates, but he’s doing a nice job of becoming the person, father and teammates he claims he wants to be.
Jaylen Waddle has been more active
Waddle and Tagovailoa have had chemistry from their early days together at the University of Alabama, but Miami’s quarterback has always favored Hill, until now. Training camp’s first week featured Waddle becoming Tagovailoa’s primary target, which is unique. In fairness to Hill, he missed all of this offseason’s on-field work because of his surgically repaired wrist, and that absence allowed Waddle to convince Tagovailoa to lean on him. Whether things will stay this way depends on quite a few factors, but so far Waddle’s delivering.
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McDaniel continues to run a player-led team
The one thing I’ve always appreciated about McDaniel is the fact he intentionally runs a player-driven organization, and the Dolphins’ head coach has no intention of changing that. That means the leaders set the standard for the team, and police things like penalties and tardiness. Even though Miami lost two of last year’s top leaders in Terron Armstead and Calais Campbell, we’re seeing a bunch of youngsters step forward to take on the leadership responsibilities.
Dolphins add three cornerbacks in one week
Even though there hasn’t been a practice where a cornerback outside of Cam Smith has struggled during the first week, the Dolphins have added three newcomers to the team’s most inexperienced unit. Miami signed Cornell Armstrong, Jack Jones and Mike Hilton this week to fortify depth since Artie Burns suffered a season-ending knee injury on day one, and Kader Kohou injured his right leg and left practice early on Saturday. The search for a solid trio of starters continues to week two.
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O-line depth remains a concern
Pads haven’t come on, but there’s been a ton of pocket penetration, quarterback pressure, and would-be tackles made in the backfield during practice’s first week. It doesn’t help that starting center Aaron Brewer is sidelined by a lower extremity issue, and Liam Eichenberg, the Dolphins’ top backup, is on the PUP. But Miami’s second and third-team line has been hold-your-nose bad during camp’s first week. After what we’ve seen in the first week it’s not a stretch to ask if the Dolphins have three backups worthy of a 53-man roster spot.
Savaiinaea settling in at left guard
Savaiinaea, the former Arizona standout the Dolphins traded a treasure chest of draft picks to move up in the second round for, has been locked in as Miami’s starting left guard since OTAs. It’s a position the rookie admits he’s not comfortable playing yet because it forces him to use a different stance, and foot to push off from. But this seems to be the spot where Miami feels will become Savaiinaea’s best NFL home. We’ll know more about how Savaiinaea is doing when pads get put on Tuesday, and practices become more physical.
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Fitzpatrick giving Dolphins the silent treatment
Fitzpatrick’s naturally a quiet person. He doesn’t talk much, but the newly acquired Dolphins safety hasn’t addressed his return to the team he forced a trade from in 2019 since Miami re-acquiring him at the end of June. Fitzpatrick’s silence, and the recent hiring of agent Drew Rosenhaus, sends the message that he’s not happy with his existing contract, and is seeking a new deal, one that provides the former All-Pro player some guaranteed money.
Zach Sieler’s working, for now
Despite being one of the NFL’s biggest bargains, Sieler continues to practice with his teammates, helping the youngsters in his unit lay the right foundation for the season, instead of engaging in a camp hold-in while his agent pushes for a new deal. How long Sieler will work is unclear, but it’s clear his goal is to double, or at least come close to doubling the $9.1 million he has the potential to make if he triggers every bonus and incentive.
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Expect De’Von Achane to produce if healthy
Achane was 1-yard shy of becoming a 1,500 yard producer last year, and the hope is that the third-year tailback will pick up where he left off in 2024. While he’ll likely share Miami’s backfield with Jaylen Wright, don’t be surprised if Achane handles a 220-240 carry workload if he’s healthy for the entire season. Achane is moving with a level of fluidity and mastery of the offense we haven’t seen from him before now.
Tight end becomes area of concern
There’s a steep cliff Miami’s dropping off at tight end this season after trading away Smith, who set franchise records in receptions, yards produced and touchdowns scored by a tight end, to the Steelers. Julian Hill and Tanner Conner have been relatively inconsistent so far in camp’s first week, so the sooner Darren Waller is taken off the PUP list the better. However, there’s no guarantee that the 33-year-old is still an impactful football player.