Dolphins Second Open OTA Observations

The Miami Dolphins conducted their second open (to the media) Organized Team Activity in steady rain Tuesday, though it was light most of the time and not the downpour that is so common in South Florida at this time of year.

The same four players not spotted in the first open OTA last week again were missing, including the two who have been the subject of trade discussions, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. The other two players absent were new guard James Daniels and 2024 team MVP Zach Sieler.

Daniels' absence is likely related to the fact he's recovering from an Achilles injury that cut short his 2024 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wide receiver Tahj Washington was the only non-quarterback wearing a red jersey, indicating a player dealing with some kind of injury. Offensive lineman Kion Smith didn't have a red jersey after donning one in the first open OTA.

Edge defender Chop Robinson wore the orange jersey as the practice player of the day for Monday.

OTA PRACTICE HIGHLIGHTS

-- We preface everything here by saying that Dolphins reporting rules prevent us from disclosing certain things we observe, such as position changes or who plays with what unit.

-- Because he has the reputation of having problems throwing in the rain, we should start off by mentioning that Tua Tagovailoa was on the money with his passes throughout practice. It also should be mentioned that there were a lot of check-downs in an 11-on-11 session late in practice.

-- Zach Wilson had an impressive short completion in a 7-on-7 to Dee Eskridge, fitting the ball despite tight coverage by Ethan Bonner.

-- Wilson followed that with a really good throw over the middle to rookie tight end Jalin Conyers.

-- New defensive lineman Matthew Butler had a nice play on the snap of 11-on-11 with a stop on a run at the line of scrimmage.

-- Safety Ifeanu Melifonwu got the defense woofing when he came down with a pass from Wilson, though (whispers) it didn't look like he got both feet down in bounds.

-- Third-year linebacker Channing Tindall met Alexander Mattison in the backfield right after Mattison took a handoff.

-- Rookie running back Ollie Gordon II made a nice cut to get open in the middle of the line on a running play.

-- As was the case in the first open OTA, Robinson was a constant visitor to the offensive backfield.

-- Wilson threw an absolute pill for a completion near the sideline to Tarik Black during a 7-on-7 session. He followed that with a great completion to Tanner Conner near the sideline that he threaded over a defender.

-- Rookie Quinn Ewers attempted several passes deep or to the second level, but with very little success. His one completion on those throws was to rookie free agent A.J. Henning.

-- Veteran Willie Gay Jr. looked like he was going at a different speed than everybody else when he shot through the line to quickly get to Zach Wilson on the first play of an 11-on-11 session.

-- On the next snap, Jaylen Wright shot through the middle and then cut outside for what would have been a long gain.

-- Wilson had a completion of about 50 yards to Eskridge on a throw where the receiver made a nice adjustment while being wide open.

-- Grayson Murphy, who had some flashes before he landed on IR as a rookie free agent last year, got around Austin Jackson on a pass rush and aborted the play.

-- Rookie seventh-round pick Zeek Biggers blew up a run by Gordon when he met him at the line of scrimmage after defeating his block.

-- Rookie linebacker Eugene Asante had a pick off a deflection on the final play of practice.

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