Miami Dolphins open OTA’s without safety Reshad Jones

The Miami Dolphins have a two-day voluntary OTA camp going on today and tomorrow and they will do so without Reshad Jones.

Reshad Jones is skipping the voluntary workouts that the Miami Dolphins are holding the next two days and while some believe it is no big deal, it does send the wrong message.

As the rookies get their first opportunity to mingle with the veterans of the new regimes rebuild, starting safety Reshad Jones is keeping to himself opting to workout privately and away from the team. It doesn’t send the right message.

Jones is supposed to be a leader of the team but it is clear that he can’t be that leader. If he were, he would be at the two-day camp. In shells and helmet running drills. While it is not unheard of for players to skip volunteer workouts it is valuable time to spend with a new coaching staff as they implement their way of doing things on the practice field.

Jones will make the mandatory camps or risk being fined by this is an opportunity for his coaches to get to know him and vice versa. The message may not be one of intended harm or because he is upset but it does not look good for a veteran.

To be fair there was a lot of talk about Jones being traded or released this off-season. Not by the team directly. There is still talk that Jones could be released next off-season when his contract is more easily voided. Could this all be a reason for him skipping the workouts?

When Ndamukong Suh was in Detroit he regularly skipped off-season volunteer workouts and many wondered if he would do the same in Miami. At first, he did not and frankly I can’t remember if he attended all of them.

Missing camp won’t hurt his play on the field and the team is doing more drill work than anything else, it simply isn’t a good look for a veteran who should be showing himself as a leader.