Duke Riley was the top standout from the Dolphins Monday OTA session

The Miami Dolphins pulled back the curtains on the team's offseason work, allowing the media to watch all of Tuesday's session and it seemed as if Mike McDaniel's team picked up right where they left off in 2022.

There was a lot of movement at the line of scrimmage before the snap, a ton of passes thrown (which is to be expected in a non-padded practice), and troublesome quarterback protection from an offensive line that has continuously been rebuilt for the past decade.

Here’s a breakdown of five observations made during portions of the Dolphins' OTA sessions the media was allowed to watch Tuesday.

Mike White’s arm wasn’t impressive

I’m used to seeing floaters thrown from Dolphins quarterbacks. 

That's been my life story since Chad Pennington was the starter in 2008, with Chad Henne and Ryan Tannehill being the lone exceptions, and proof that accuracy is much more important than arm strength.

So when I criticize Mike White's arm strength don't think I'm being an arm snob. But most of his throws had very little zip on them.

Keep in mind none of the quarterback's on the Dolphins roster have a cannon. I also knew White’s arm wasn’t gonna blow me away from evaluating him in the draft process years ago, so the bar was low from an expectation standpoint.

But what I saw from White during the first in-person session was underwhelming. 

None of the quarterbacks stood out during Tuesday’s session, but White was the worst.

Jevon Holland made the top play of practice, picking off a duck of a pass from Mike White, and running it back for a decent gain.

Sackfest for Dolphins Defense

It’s no secret that the Dolphins O-line is a work in progress, especially with Terron Armstead sitting out the session. 

But their struggles led to a good day from the outside linebackers, who shined in the first session the media was able to watch. 

Jaelan Phillips was a force, as usual. But Mitchell Agude (who I noticed more than I should for good things), Cameron Goode, Malik Reed, Aubrey Miller all produced would-be sacks.

Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis also had a would-be sack on a play that featured a bad exchange. Miami was working without center Connor Williams on the offensive line, but that was really the only bad snap I noticed. 

There was one play where former San Diego State center Alama Uluave burrowed open a hole so big the offensive line could be spotted celebrating with Uluave while Raheem Mostert was still running downfield.

Inside linebacker needs addressing

Jackson State standout Aubrey Miller, whom Miami signed as an undrafted rookie, supposedly didn’t get drafted because of his small stature. He’s 5-foot-11, 230 pounds. 

It was a bit surprising to notice that Miller looks bigger than David Long, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 227 pounds. 

Both make Jerome Baker, who is 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, look big, and we all no that's an exaggeration of the truth.

Now that I’m over being a size queen, I’ll say Long does trigger fast, and he can seemingly cover with some range, which explains why he replaced Elandon Roberts.

But that unit has me concerned. I bring up size because small players typically break down faster, especially at contact drive positions like linebacker.

Good thing Duke Riley is playing fast, and seemingly making plays (he was the orange jersey player from Monday’s session) because this team needs help at linebacker. 

After watching Channing Tindall [he was invisible on Tuesday] it’s clear that Andrew Van Ginkel move to inside linebacker was a move made out of necessity.

Don't be surprised if the Dolphins add a veteran inside linebacker or two to this group before, or during training camp. 

Receiver Review Looks Promising

Not having Tyreek Hill during Tuesday's practice meant a lot of the secondary receivers had a chance to have their package work elevated, and Erik Ezukamna was my top standout. 

Others made plays, particularly Braxton Berrios, who dropped into zones and was wide open on a number of receptions, but Ezukanma, the Dolphins' 2022 fourth-round pick, was moving like an NFL starter. 

He was FAST, and his routes were crisp. We saw these types of practices from him last training camp, before he pulled a disappearing act during season.

I also witnessed Robbie Anderson get open downfield a couple of times, showcasing the speed to beat defenses deep. For the record, Cedrick Wilson Jr. made a couple solid catches. It was as if he were raising his hand, reminding people he's still around.

Let's try not to forget him, and his his $7 million salary.

Speedy Tailback Spawns Creativity

De’Von Achane has some wheels on him. 

I knew the Dolphins' third round pick was 40-time fast, but anytime the ball was in the Texas A&M standout's hands the tiny tailback was gone, moving faster than his nearest defender. And it seemed effortless. 

Keep in mind I’ve covered fast players before, but the last Dolphins tailback who was this fast was Reggie Bush, who ran a 4.33 40-time in the draft process. Achane edges him out with a 4.32 time.

Tua Tagovailoa connected with Achane on a nice teardrop pass down the left sideline 25-yards downfield, putting it where only the tailback could get it before he toe tapping inbounds. 

Seeing that play got my wheels spinning with creative passing plays for tailbacks.

However, these are the practice sessions where Salvon Ahmed is usually carving up defenders with receptions and downfield runs. Practices without pads favors the tiny, fast players who get slowed down when pads come on, so let's not go overboard with praising Achane. 

But what I saw Tuesday was indeed intriguing, and makes me wonder what the mad scientist [Mike McDaniel] could create.