Minicamp Observations: Dissecting Tua's Tough Day, Fuller Flashes, Waddle Watch, and More

The Miami Dolphins' first practice of minicamp was conducted in weather that could only be described as typical South Florida.

There were period of heavy rain (and we mean heavy), some intense heat and humidity, followed by more heavy rain.

It made for — shall we say? — an interesting practice, one that unfortunately was highlighted by a rough day at the office for second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

And that's where we have to start our minicamp practice observations:

Tough Day for Tua

Without question, these were difficult conditions under which to operate, but it's also not as though every one of Tua's picks was a result of the rain.

Let's just call as it was, Tua struggled.

But just as we would do if Tua had lit it up, we'll caution against overreacting to just one day of practice in June.

Sure, it would be great if Tua could shine at every practice or OTA, but that's not how things always work out.

That said, it would be pushing thing to blame the rain for all of Tua's picks. As we said, he just had a bad day!

It started on the very first play in team drills, which actually was the first time the Dolphins ran offense against defense in a live setting in a practice open to the media this spring.

On that play, Nik Needham stepped in front of DeVante Parker to pick up the pass and would have had a pick-six had this been a game.

In fairness to Tua, the last interception wasn't his fault, as it bounced off the hands of tight end Mike Gesicki and into the arms of safety Clayton Fejedelem.

The one good note when it comes to Tua is that he made some nice throws toward the end of practice. The two that stood out were a throw down the seam to running back Myles Gaskin and the other a completion down the middle of the field to Will Fuller between a trio of defenders.

Fellow quarterback Jacoby Brissett did a little better, though he did throw two interceptions.

Fuller flashes

As we caution again that it's only minicamp, Fuller's running ability isn't hard to pick up.

He was on the receiving end of a couple of receptions during this practice, but it's the way he moves downfield that really was impressive.

Imagining him and first-round pick Jaylen Waddle going deep on opposite side truly is intriguing.

Waddle watch

While on the topic of Waddle, he was a full participant in the minicamp practice, just like he was in all the OTAs open to the media, and he ran perfectly fine.

We say that in light of suggestions we've seen on social media that he's limping.

With all due respect to everyone, that's ridiculous. Waddle has a particular way of walking that might give off the impression he's limping, but he hasn't shown one iota of a sign while running that there's anything wrong.

And ask yourself this: If Waddle indeed had issues with a foot, ankle or leg that would case the limping, do you think for a second — make that a millisecond — the Dolphins would have him out there as a full participant in June after spending the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft on him.

Come on. That's just silly.

 Full-speed Phillips

On an 11-on-11 play, rookie first-round pick Jaelan Phillips got off the line of scrimmage to rush so quickly and so fiercely that both he and two offensive players ended up on the ground near the quarterback.

Phillips then ran a couple of laps around the two practice fields for what we can only imagine was punishment for getting players on the ground.

While we certainly don't condone Phillips' over-aggressiveness in a minicamp practice, there's a part that likes seeing the 18th overall pick going all out at this time of year.

It bodes well for his outlook and seems to confirm the reports that Phillips is a player with a high motor.

Player participation

The Dolphins had perfect attendance for the first minicamp practice, except for cornerback Xavien Howard.

Head coach Brian Flores alerted the media before practice that he wouldn't be there because of unhappiness with his contract situation.

Wide receiver Preston Williams and linebacker Elandon Roberts both were on hand but did not practice.

Roberts, who sustained what first looked like a serious knee injury in the Week 16 victory at Las Vegas last December, took part in earlier practices open to the media, though it should be noted those were far from full-speed workouts.

As for Williams, his status continues to be a mystery, as we explored several days back.

We mentioned Gesicki earlier, and it should be noted he practiced with a red jersey, which is reserved for players nursing injuries and quarterbacks.

Gesicki sat out most of the team drills, but took part in an 11-on-11 toward the end.

Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah made his first appearance of the spring, as his agent Drew Rosenhaus had declared during his weekly local television spot Sunday.

Rosenhaus said during that telecast he has approached the Dolphins about a new contract for Ogbah, who's heading into a contract year after signing a two-year deal as a free agent last offseason.