We are officially back into the real part of the NFL calendar. Rookies have reported to camp and the veterans will be arriving on July 23. Miami Dolphins football is just about back and that is a wonderful thing.
Things have been quite dormant on the Dolphins front over the past few weeks, which is a good thing. Outside of Tyreek Hill becoming a father again, showing his pursuit of numbers put up by Phillip Rivers, not much has happened with the team.
With that said, everyone is still waiting to see what happens with Tua Tagovailoa and his contract extension. It seems like every day some NFL insider puts out a quick nugget about where things stand between Tua and the Dolphins. Will things actually get done? No one knows.
However, this article is about under-the-radar camp battles that fans should be focused on. With every new season comes brand new camp battles that provide plenty of intrigue. Having said that, here are a few in particular that will be a ton of fun to follow:
4. Robert Jones vs. Liam Eichenberg. vs. Jake Driscoll
Who will be the starting right guard to open the campaign for the Dolphins? The candidates for this rather important position are Robert Jones, who is penciled in as the starter as of this writing on ESPN, everyone’s new favorite punching bag now that Austin Jackson turned it around Liam Eichenberg, and journeyman Jake Driscoll. Not exactly the Hogs of Washington from the 80s, but this is what happens when the front office sticks to their guns; their guns being to not worry too deeply about the offensive line.
It’s hard to say who has the inside track. You’d think it would be Eichenberg due to him starting 12 games last year and actually playing decently or at least better than he previously had. Maybe another year under the tutelage of Butch Barry will unlock even more skill? It's hard to say.
Barry will have to be on his game to figure out which one of these guys solidifies the Dolphins offensive line. He did wonders last year with that group and he just about has the same group besides Aaron Brewer at center.
3. Raheem Mostert vs. De'Von Achane
The guys who run behind the offensive line are an interesting bunch. You’d think it’s a slam dunk deal that Raheem Mostert will be the pure No. 1 back, but would it be a surprise to see De’Von Achane getting the first snap of the season as the starter? Not at all.
Some out there would actually like to see Mostert have his snaps cut back just a little bit for the first half or so of the season. It would allow the young guys to get more runs and then when the stakes get higher and the weather shifts, then Mostert can be unleashed. I realize some fans would like to see Mostert ridden into the ground and then have Achane pick up after that, but it would be best to have as many healthy RBs as possible at the end of the campaign.
Maybe rookie Jaylen Wright will do a run-in (wrestling jargon, keep up) and insert his name seriously into this competition. The most likely scenario is that Wright will get some carries here and there early in the year and if he is adjusting quickly, his role will increase. There's hope that Mike McDaniel will see the benefit of this and make sure Wright gets ample playing time in 2024 too.
Honorable mention: the battle at tight end for the Dolphins
A sneaky camp battle is the one between Durham Smythe, Julian Hill and Jody Fortson Jr. Jonnu Smith is going to be No. 1 due to what he can bring in the passing game, but if McDaniel has aspirations for some more two tight end sets and he wants to legit pass-catchers out of the position, that makes way for Hill or Fortson.
Could Fortson potentially have the edge here and make an impact for Miami? Call it a gut feeling, but that could prove to be the case. Fortson missed all of last year with a shoulder injury, but based on photos and videos from his offseason workouts, Fortson is looking ready to be a beast in '24.
📸 Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington, and Jody Fortson Jr. have been in the lab 🔬 #GoFins pic.twitter.com/vtg7BnpHVT
— ThePhinstones (@The_Phinstones) July 13, 2024
Plenty of people are in Smythe's corner, but Fortson brings a little bit more in the pass-receiving department. We just need to see that he isn't a liability blocking. If he can prove that he isn't, then we indeed could be seeing plenty of him this fall and winter.
2. Kader Kohou vs. Nik Needham
Kader Kohou vs. Nik Needham for the nickel corner position is a fun one because both guys can get the job done. At the same time, are they that much different from one another?. This means that whoever doesn’t win the job will see the field sooner than later eventually.
Both guys can play and Anthony Weaver won’t feel too nervous using both guys judicially. You have to think that Kohou will have the inside track on being the first guy in line to be the pure No. 1 nickel corner. Kohou did it last season and Needham is coming off a year where he was coming back from an Achilles injury.
You could see last campaign that Needham was not the player he was before the injury. That's to be expected, but now is the time to show that he can still be a reliable player for a new-look defense with Weaver calling the shots. It will be interesting to see how things play out there.
1. Neville Gallimore vs. Benito Jones vs. Brandon Pili vs. Teair Tart vs. mystery opponent
Who will win the nose tackle job is anyone’s guess. The potential players are Neville Gallimore, Benito Jones, Brandon Pili, and Teair Tart. On paper, you’d give the early lead to Tart, who signed a one-year deal in April. It wasn’t for a ton, but they made it a point to sign him. Who knows, it might be a nose tackle by committee with this one.
Pili showed in the preseason last summer that he has a little something going on when it comes to clogging up the middle. He was one of those preseason darlings that countless Miami supporters really enjoyed watching. Perhaps now that the nose tackle position is truly up for grabs, he will dial it in even more.
I added the mystery opponent element to this because you never know, a surprise playmaker could end up becoming the Week 1 starter. Could a late free agent signing be on the way? Again, you never know what might go down in the coming weeks. All of these battles we listed will be fun to watch develop and get updates on. Soon enough, everyone can watch the preseason games to see who’s doing what on both sides of the ball.