Miami Dolphins: What We've Learned Through Week 1 of Preseason

The Miami Dolphins' open portion of training camp is over, but the practices are really just beginning. Over the next three weeks, the Dolphins will continue to prepare for the regular season through preseason games and their own practices.

And with three weeks worth of practice already in the books, we have officially hit the halfway point of summer practice before the regular season kicks in.

Some young players are using this time to prove themselves as worthy of playing time; some veterans players are using these practices to show that they still have what it takes to compete at a high level even after a long career; other players are simply using the time to get healthy. 

We've seen it all at Dolphins camp, and here's a little smattering of what we've learned so far. 

DeVante Parker Is on the Road to Recovery

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The Dolphins are starting to get back to full strength in the wide receiver corps. Kenny Stills returned to practice earlier in the week, and the team announced Wednesday that first-round pick DeVante Parker (foot) has been removed from the physically unable to perform list.

Parker is still expected to return in time for Week 1, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, and his announced return to the active roster doesn't change his expected recovery time. That being said, getting Parker off the PUP list allows him to begin participating in practice. 

Parker was drafted with the 14th overall pick, and the team hopes he can make an immediate impact. He is both a red-zone threat at 6'3" and 209 pounds, and a deep threat running a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. He posted some dynamic numbers at Louisville, with 156 career catches for 2,775 yards (17.8 yards per catch) and 33 touchdowns. In the past two seasons alone, Parker posted 98 catches for 1,740 yards (17.8 yards per catch) and 17 touchdowns. 

With Parker, Stills and Jarvis Landry, the Dolphins have a dynamic trio of wide receivers to execute their spread attack. This could be a big year for quarterback Ryan Tannehill if the whole group is back to 100 percent for the start of the regular season.

So Is Branden Albert

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During training camp, all you can ask for is progress—whether that progress is made in the form of improved play when a player is on the field, or improved health when he is off the field.

Left tackle Branden Albert is definitely making progress in his recovery from a torn ACL.

Last Tuesday, Albert did "the most he's done all camp" when he was lining up with the starters, according to Omar Kelly and Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Then, on Saturday, Kelly and Perkins reported that Albert was facing off with Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake at practice. Albert also participated in team work at Monday's practice, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. 

These are all very encouraging signs for Albert's availability for Week 1 of the regular season. Albert is one of, if not the best offensive lineman on the roster. His presence would mean a lot more stability for the offensive line—when Albert went down in 2014, rookie right tackle Ja'Wuan James swung over to the left side and his performance took a dip as a result. 

The Dolphins have some holes at guard and can't afford to be without Albert for any length of time in 2015.

Ndamukong Suh Is a Wrecking Ball

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Don't call Ndamukong Suh Miley Cyrus, but every time he hits the field, he comes in like a wrecking ball.

James Walker of ESPN.com has been so impressed with Suh so far that he has placed Suh at the top of his list of training camp standouts. It should come as no surprise, though, as the Dolphins gave Suh roughly $60 million guaranteed to make that kind of an impact on the field. 

According to Walker:

"

Suh was an absolute dominant force in Miami's practices. He made such a mockery of Miami's offensive line, and particularly the guard positions, that it was hard to evaluate those players. There aren't many players who can block Suh one on one, which will help the Dolphins' defense tremendously. They haven't had a game-changer of this level on defense since Jason Taylor was in his prime.

"

With Suh lining up somewhere between defensive ends Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon, the Dolphins already have one of the most fearsome defensive lines in the entire NFL. Suh didn't have a huge impact on the box score in the Dolphins' first preseason game, but his impact was felt more strongly on the field, where the Chicago Bears showed their knowledge and respect of him with double-teams on nearly every play. 

With two blockers on Suh at all times, Wake and Vernon could be even more effective than they've been over the past two seasons (38 combined sacks over the past two seasons).

Rishard Matthews Just Won't Go Away

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

For almost all of training camp, backup wide receivers have been earning a lot of looks with DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills out of action. Rishard Matthews is the one who's made the most of the opportunities. 

"I think he's capitalized on them," said head coach Joe Philbin. "He's always caught the ball well, I think he's done that during this camp. He ran a nice route the other night, he was strong at the top of the route, he's got strong hands, he's got some toughness so he can contribute on special teams. I've got to give him credit, he's done a good job."

Those are some big signs of respect for Matthews, who has been at odds with the Dolphins coaching staff for years. The team has entertained trade talks for Matthews, and Matthews has asked for a release, as the Miami Herald's Adam H. Beasley reported. The important thing is that the coaching staff has put the past behind them, and Matthews has done the same.

"We've had some knockdown, drag outs over the years, but I think there is a healthy respect between the two of us," Philbin said. "We banged heads, there is no hiding that, but at the same point in time I like him as a football player. I like that he believes in himself, he wants to contribute, I like that and he's tough."

The bigger question is whether things will stay smooth when Matthews is back on the bench after Parker and Stills are both back to 100 percent. For now, though, at least Matthews isn't letting the past have too much of an impact on the future.

Zach Vigil Could Be the Undrafted Rookie Linebacker to Emerge from the Pack

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

The Dolphins addressed their lack of depth at linebacker by throwing a bunch of darts at the undrafted-free-agent board and seeing which ones would stick. Between Neville Hewitt, Jeff Luc, Mike Hull and Zach Vigil, the team gave itself plenty of options. 

There may not be enough room for all four on the final roster, though. As of now, it appears Vigil will be one who emerges from the pack. The 6'2", 240-pound rookie out of Utah State collected five tackles and a sack in the Dolphins' preseason opener against the Bears, and his production did not go unnoticed by the coaching staff. 

"He's involved in tackles," head coach Joe Philbin said. "If you're a linebacker, one of your job responsibilities is to get in on tackles and have production, and I think for the number of snaps he was in the ball game, he got in on plays. He has good instincts and I thought he showed pretty well."

Philbin likes the progress Vigil has made to this point in training camp.

"Yeah, I do," he said. "Again, I think he has good instincts as a football player, he's been able to be out here every day, he competes hard. So I thought (the game) was a good first outing."

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein says Vigil "benefited from aggressive, attacking scheme" in college, but that's exactly where he's landed in the NFL. Vigil may not be an every-down player—he may not even be a one-down player—but he has shown the playmaking ability and the skill to warrant consideration on the bottom of the Dolphins' depth chart at linebacker. 

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