Miami Dolphins Training Camp: Week 2 Stock Report
Two weeks into training camp, the Miami Dolphins are starting to see some separation on their roster.
The cream is rising to the top, and the rest is falling to the wayside as the Dolphins search for starters and key role players on both sides of the ball.
Some players are getting more opportunities thanks to some injuries at their position. Other players are simply outperforming their competition en route to increased practice reps. In some instances, there are players who are failing to live up to their high expectations headed into the season.
As always with training camp reports and recaps, we must take the updates with a huge grain of salt. After all, we're talking about practice. Not a game, practice. It's just impossible to completely replicate a real-game situation in practice. Likewise, there are ever-changing highs and lows in training camp. Some players will play with their hair on fire one week, and then they'll take the ice bucket challenge the next week.
With all that in mind, here's a look at some of the players whose stock has risen and others whose stock is taking a hit after two weeks of practice.
Stock Up: Rishard Matthews
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The first week of Dolphins training camp saw Rishard Matthews take advantage of increased reps with first-round rookie DeVante Parker out of practice. The second week of camp is off to a similar start.
Per Omar Kelly and Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Matthews was one of the top performers in camp on Sunday. The three-year veteran hauled in roughly 140 yards' worth of catches and had several highlights including a nice catch on a slant route, one of four deep-ball completions from quarterback Ryan Tannehill and a post-corner route against rookie cornerback Tony Lippett.
Matthews and the Dolphins have been at odds in the past. According to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, Matthews asked for his release earlier this offseason. Separately, the team has entertained trade offers for him at times throughout his tenure in Miami. It looked like he could be primed for a huge role in the offense in 2015 after the departures of Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson, but that was before the arrivals of Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings and Parker.
If he keeps making plays in practice, though, it will be hard for the Dolphins to justify keeping him off the field.
Stock Down: Jay Ajayi
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Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi made his way onto the stock report in the first week of training camp, and he's back on the list once again in the second week.
According to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post, Ajayi is missing from practice while dealing with a hamstring injury, and the Dolphins aren't sure how long he will be out.
That's bad news for Ajayi, who is in the running to be the No. 2 back in the Dolphins offense. In his absence, backups like Damien Williams and LaMichael James are getting opportunities to show what they can offer in that same role.
Between Williams, James, Ajayi and the starter Lamar Miller, the Dolphins would have four backs on their roster. Mike Gillislee is on the outside looking in, and even if the team carries four backs in the regular season, one of them might end up being inactive on game days.
Ajayi has the skill set to be an every-down back for the Dolphins, with the ability to run the ball between the tackles, break long gains in the open field and catch passes out of the backfield. That being said, there are already concerns about his long-term NFL future due to the volume and severity of knee injuries in his college career. He'll have to get healthy if he ever wants to prove his value to the Dolphins.
Stock Up: Ryan Tannehill
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If you visit nearly any Dolphins beat writer's blog or main page for content, you're bound to find at least one instance of the name "Ryan Tannehill" and the words "deep ball" not too far behind.
That's because, for the first three years of Tannehill's career, the ability to hit explosive plays has been one of the Dolphins' glaring weaknesses. Whether Tannehill, his receivers or his offensive coordinators should accept the brunt of the blame, that's up for debate.
But the word out of Dolphins camp from the likes of Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald indicates that Tannehill's deep ball is improving. He connected on four deep passes in the Dolphins' scrimmage on Sunday.
Improvement is relative when you consider that Tannehill was accurate (pass was either caught or dropped) on 20 of his 53 deep attempts in 2014 (37.7 percent) and 21-of-64 in 2013 (32.8 percent) according to Pro Football Focus.
If the Dolphins can hit a higher percentage of their chunk plays in 2015, though, it will take the pressure off the offense to be perfect and execute long drives down the field.
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Stock Down: Billy Turner
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The Dolphins have been rebuilding their offensive line since the 2014 offseason, and they are at least 60 percent of the way to a finished product. Left tackle Branden Albert, right tackle Ja'Wuan James and center Mike Pouncey are all bona fide NFL starters. The big question is what the Dolphins will do at the two guard spots.
For a while, it appeared Billy Turner would be the front-runner at right guard, while Dallas Thomas would be the man to beat at left guard. Two weeks into training camp, our perspective has changed.
Rookie guard Jamil Douglas is pushing Thomas, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, who says the rookie is the "Dolphins' best left guard" by a wide margin. At right guard, Turner is losing first-team reps to Jacques McClendon, who was a third-stringer just last week, per Beasley.
Head coach Joe Philbin called it a "wide-open" competition at guard. Pouncey said the offensive line is "obviously" the team's biggest concern headed into the season. These are all ominous things to be coming out of camp at this stage in the game.
It's not time to push the panic button at guard just yet, but unless someone claims the position as his own, the Dolphins could have two holes on the inside of the offensive line once again in 2015.
Stock Up: LaMichael James
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With one running back who is firmly in the "stock down" category, it makes sense that another is seizing the moment and making the most of opportunities.
That running back is LaMichael James, who made the most of his opportunities in the team's scrimmage, according to James Walker of ESPN.com. James finished that night with 41 yards on nine carries, including a 15-yard burst that helped set up a touchdown. He also contributed as a punt returner, which should increase his likelihood of making the final 53-man roster.
Lamar Miller is the clear-cut, runaway No. 1 running back on the depth chart. It appeared Jay Ajayi would be No. 2, but he isn't capitalizing on his opportunities and has also been dealing with an injury. That leaves James to fight off Mike Gillislee and Damien Williams for the top spot off the bench.
So far, it looks like he's making the most of the moment.
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.
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