Miami Dolphins Training Camp: Week 1 Stock Report

The Miami Dolphins entered training camp with question marks at several positions. They were never going to get their concrete answers after just one week of practice, but they can at least say they are closer to a finished product than they were when camp kicked off.

Position battles at guard, running back, cornerback and linebacker are all starting to take shape. That means that while some players are setting themselves apart from the pack and proving they belong in the starting lineup, other players are taking a step back and could have a more difficult path to regular-season playing time.

Make no mistake; with just one week down, there's still plenty of time for things to change. There is some danger in minute-to-minute analysis of practices, for multiple reasons:

1. They are practices, not games, and while padded practices are as close as you can get to a real game situation, there's a lot we've yet to learn about these players until we see them perform in games.
2. A few strong performances by one player, or a few weak performances by another, could advance the storyline and muddy the situation or battle at a particular position.

With all that in mind, here's a look at some players who have stood out through the first week of practice. 

Stock Up: Dallas Thomas

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The Dolphins are 60 percent of the way to a completed offensive line, but it's the other 40 percent—the two guard spots—that could be the bane of the offense's existence in 2015. 

Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald indicated that Dallas Thomas has earned praise from Dolphins vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, and that Thomas has also earned the start at left guard for now. Meanwhile, Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post indicates that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor put Thomas, Billy Turner and Jamil Douglas in the discussion atop the depth chart.

Thomas is a tackle-to-guard project, but although he has been exposed at tackle, he has also shown some promise at guard. He gave up seven sacks in six games at tackle in 2014, but didn't yield a sack in seven games at guard, according to Pro Football Focus. 

If Thomas can continue to impress coaches in practice and continues to play better at guard than tackle, he should find a way into the starting lineup. 

Stock Down: DeVante Parker

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

There's an old saying in sports: You can't make the club in the tub. Google it and you'll find it's attributed to a lot of different players and coaches over the years. There's no fear of wide receiver DeVante Parker making the roster. The question is when, and whether, the Dolphins can expect their first-round pick to begin making an impact.

On Tuesday, head coach Joe Philbin said of Parker, "We're not sure exactly when he's going to get back." That's a pretty sudden change from a week before, when Philbin said the question was whether Parker would play 30 snaps or 60 snaps in the season opener.

The 6'3", 209-pound receiver is everything the Dolphins have needed on offense. He has the size to win one-on-one matchups and jump-ball situations on the outside and in the red zone, but he also has the long speed to get open on vertical routes down the field. 

Parker's injury is an important setback because he is missing out on the opportunity to build chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill. For now, he just has to devote that much more energy to learning the playbook inside and out, forward and backward, before he gets onto the field. 

Stock Up: Lamar Miller

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Lamar Miller has not earned his due despite having been on the Dolphins roster since 2012. Even after being a top-100 draft choice in Joe Philbin's first year as head coach, Miller has never been given the opportunity to be the bell cow for the offense. In 2014, he didn't carry the ball 20 or more times in any game all season long.

Despite the consistent pattern of holding Miller back from being that bell cow, Philbin denies that this is a sign of an organizational lack of confidence in Miller's ability to carry that kind of role. According to James Walker of ESPN.com, Philbin said:

"

I would tell you I've never been in a meeting where I've said to [offensive coordinator] Bill [Lazor] or [running backs coach] Jeff Nixon or the offensive line coaches have said 'Lamar can't carry the ball 20 times a game. He can't do it.' I've never heard that. That's never come out of my mouth. ... I would tell you, if he's cranking and he got it 24 times a game and he's healthy and he's fast and he's explosive, it doesn't bother me one bit.

"

Philbin's vote of confidence, along with Jay Ajayi's inability to capitalize on his opportunities (more on that later) have both resulted in a slight uptick in Miller's stock. 

Stock Down: Jay Ajayi

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Running back Jay Ajayi has been regarded as a potential No. 1 back for the Dolphins, and it is reasonable to anticipate that the Dolphins' fifth-round pick will exceed the expectations set by other fifth-round running backs before him.  

That being said, it appears expectations should be tempered a bit. Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald labeled Ajayi as "a disappointment" in camp thus far, citing fumble issues as one of the biggest setbacks he's faced in practice.

The 6'0", 221-pound back packs a punch with a lot of initial explosiveness, as evidenced by a 39" vertical jump and a 121" broad jump, both of which ranked in the top five among running backs at the combine this year. He's also been highly productive at the collegiate level, notching a nation-high 32 total touchdowns in 2014 along with a nation-high 397 total touches. 

Ajayi could very well still turn out to be an important piece of the Dolphins offense this year and in future years, but his ability to make an immediate impact is being dampened by his sluggish start in training camp. 

Stock Up: Jamar Taylor

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Cornerback Jamar Taylor (22, right) is getting every opportunity to earn a starting spot in the Dolphins defense.

The Dolphins came into the offseason with a big question mark at one of their two starting spots at cornerback. They may leave training camp and the preseason with an answer. 

The hope all along has been for former second-round pick Jamar Taylor to step up and grab the proverbial brass ring. In his third year, he could be approaching do-or-die territory in that regard. If that's the case, as of right now, it appears Taylor is landing firmly in the "do."

Taylor has been running with the first-team defense, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. His performance over the past two years hasn't necessarily warranted that distinction; he has allowed 37 receptions on 53 throws into his coverage and an overall passer rating of 107.1 in his first two years, according to Pro Football Focus. As a second-round pick, though, the expectation is that Taylor can develop into a starter.

With a number of alternatives behind him on the depth chart—Brice McCain, Zack Bowman, Will Davis and Walt Aikens, to name a few—Taylor can ill afford to slip up. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.