Patrick Paul – June 5, 2024
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Wednesday, June 5, 2024
T Patrick Paul
(I know it’s been very early in minicamp, but what have you learned since you’ve reported to rookie camp? Technique stuff, footwork, staying low – what are two or three things you’ve picked up?) – “Honestly the first thing I’d say is just playing fast. This is a very fast offense as everyone knows. Just playing fast and understanding the coaching and understanding the playbook. I’d say that, playing fast.”
(When you say fast, this team has a fast passing game. QB Tua Tagovailoa releases the ball very quickly. You don’t have to maintain your blocks very long, do you? I’m not saying you don’t have to be as good, but that speed, that quick release is that different? Does that do anything as a left tackle do you have to make any kind of adjustment?) – “No, I’d say that ball is ball, really. With the pass sets, it’s kind of just make sure your guy doesn’t get to the quarterback. So with that, just winning at all costs. Not really thinking about when the ball is being released, but just know you’re going to man that guy down even if it’s held for 10 seconds.”
(Any vets kind of take you under their wing, or is there someone you picked something really important up from already?) – “I’d say the whole o-line room. The whole o-line room, they’re very good at teaching me and teaching all of the rookies that we have how the standard is, what to do, and what not to do. I’d say the entire room, they just all are helpful and impactful.”
(Tell me about being tutored by T Terron Armstead. What is that like? What has he shared with you?) – “He’s a mentor of the game, so I’d say just the knowledge on what to focus on each day. One of the things he told me that I can relate to is the small victories every day. Win your set. Don’t just try to get it all done in one day. Just stack days and improve 1 percent each day.”
(Is he someone that you possibly emulate on the way up? You saw what made him such a great tackle) – “Of course, yeah. I’ve watched him throughout his career. I love watching offensive tackles, and he’s one that I studied in college. It’s surreal being here right now.”
(You’ve also got T Kendall Lamm whose got a lot of experience, somebody that I really like talking to. Tell me about being there with T Kendall Lamm also, what has he passed along to you?) – “Kendall (Lamm) – Mr. Tenure. (laughter) He’s a master of his craft. He’s a great person, very smart, very intelligent. He shows up every day and he gets after it. That’s someone that I respect a lot, and he teaches me a lot of stuff every day. Just seeing how he’s been able to consistently up his game is something that is very impressive to me. I love it.”
(What’s your plans between now and training camp? Are you going to stay here? Are you going back home? Who are you going to be working with? What are you thinking?) – “I’ll probably be in Houston working out. Working out with my o-line trainer up there, and then come back here and work out with the guys up here.”
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
T Patrick Paul
(I know it’s been very early in minicamp, but what have you learned since you’ve reported to rookie camp? Technique stuff, footwork, staying low – what are two or three things you’ve picked up?) – “Honestly the first thing I’d say is just playing fast. This is a very fast offense as everyone knows. Just playing fast and understanding the coaching and understanding the playbook. I’d say that, playing fast.”
(When you say fast, this team has a fast passing game. QB Tua Tagovailoa releases the ball very quickly. You don’t have to maintain your blocks very long, do you? I’m not saying you don’t have to be as good, but that speed, that quick release is that different? Does that do anything as a left tackle do you have to make any kind of adjustment?) – “No, I’d say that ball is ball, really. With the pass sets, it’s kind of just make sure your guy doesn’t get to the quarterback. So with that, just winning at all costs. Not really thinking about when the ball is being released, but just know you’re going to man that guy down even if it’s held for 10 seconds.”
(Any vets kind of take you under their wing, or is there someone you picked something really important up from already?) – “I’d say the whole o-line room. The whole o-line room, they’re very good at teaching me and teaching all of the rookies that we have how the standard is, what to do, and what not to do. I’d say the entire room, they just all are helpful and impactful.”
(Tell me about being tutored by T Terron Armstead. What is that like? What has he shared with you?) – “He’s a mentor of the game, so I’d say just the knowledge on what to focus on each day. One of the things he told me that I can relate to is the small victories every day. Win your set. Don’t just try to get it all done in one day. Just stack days and improve 1 percent each day.”
(Is he someone that you possibly emulate on the way up? You saw what made him such a great tackle) – “Of course, yeah. I’ve watched him throughout his career. I love watching offensive tackles, and he’s one that I studied in college. It’s surreal being here right now.”
(You’ve also got T Kendall Lamm whose got a lot of experience, somebody that I really like talking to. Tell me about being there with T Kendall Lamm also, what has he passed along to you?) – “Kendall (Lamm) – Mr. Tenure. (laughter) He’s a master of his craft. He’s a great person, very smart, very intelligent. He shows up every day and he gets after it. That’s someone that I respect a lot, and he teaches me a lot of stuff every day. Just seeing how he’s been able to consistently up his game is something that is very impressive to me. I love it.”
(What’s your plans between now and training camp? Are you going to stay here? Are you going back home? Who are you going to be working with? What are you thinking?) – “I’ll probably be in Houston working out. Working out with my o-line trainer up there, and then come back here and work out with the guys up here.”
Mike McDaniel – June 5, 2024
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Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Head Coach Mike McDaniel
(So is this three-day minicamp turning into a two day? Is that a possibility?) – “I do see a reality where I could be inspired to adjust the tempo of tomorrow. Not the actual occurrence of tomorrow, tomorrow will still exist for sure. But I kind of leave that open to the players and what type of painters do we have at the canvas? Are they going to inspire me to paint a different picture for tomorrow? We’ll see, but I think the most important thing is that I think the spring can be made out to be a lot of different things. You can make it what your collective group decides to make it, and if at any time you’re getting things out of a May or June day that has residuals for the regular season, that’s kind of the litmus test. I’ve been seeing that littered throughout orchestration of practice – yesterday was really good. So whether I hope, or the players hope, or both, that intentionality today is what we’re looking for. If we don’t get it right, we’ve got another opportunity.”
(On a day like today, I guess in minicamp where there’s no pads, what do you look for from your offensive and defensive linemen? Is it different on the interior than on the edges on both sides of the ball?) – “There’s so much stuff right there that I love. I think there’s a whole balancing act when you’re trying to orchestrate football without pads. However, this balancing act, if you prove adept at it, is monumental over the course of a season. You’re talking about having to not have pads on to get football work. You do the math on how many allocated padded practices you have during the season. Bottom line is if you’re a good football team, you have to be able to play football without pads well, and that takes an orchestration of understanding technique and fundamentals, but also how to protect the team and there’s a fine line. You’re trying to achieve hat placement and you’re trying to maintain your gap, but not trying to bury your teammate if you have them in a vulnerable position. All of those things are a work in progress. I pretty much talk about it daily to the team and show clips on how we can execute our fundamentals and technique while protecting each other. I think it’s a little more complicated on the edges of the defense, particularly the way that we attack defenses offensively and the way we attack offenses defensively. It’s kind of a similar mindset of who’s going to set the edge, so you have to do a lot of orchestration in terms of teaching on how to get stuff out of it and not develop bad habits but get better. And then internally, the biggest thing is not having the competitive fires fuel things that don’t help us play football well. What do I mean by that? Holding when you get leveraged or shoving a guy that’s maybe at an impasse right around the ball carrier, those types of things. You have to really put the team first while in a competitive individual situation. So it’s really good teaching because the benefits of it, you see throughout an entire NFL season.”
(I wanted to ask you about WR Odell Beckham Jr. We’ve been kind of looking forward to seeing him out there. Will we see him this week? And if not, why not?) – “Well, so the head-to-toe camo for him has worked well? You guys haven’t seen him? He’s been right in the middle of the field. (laughter) No, I think – these are always funny. Everybody is excited to see players when they first get here specifically, and a player of that caliber, everyone is pumped up. But systematically what we try to do is learn the player and develop a relationship with them and adjust to their body on their timeline so we can have the most beneficial, communicative relationship of maintaining health. Long story short, working into playing with the Miami Dolphins, between myself and (Head Athletic Trainer) Kyle (Johnston) we decided you guys were going to have to wait. But that’s just due to the individual process that we are very consistent with when new guys come to the team. We take nothing of assumption and make sure when guys are on the field, there’s no setbacks. We’re obviously applying that to him.”
(Early on in your coaching career you had the chance to work with Andre Johnson and seen his work ethic in the offseason. What is it about Andre Johnson’s work ethic that you took away from that time and that experience from Houston to try to bring it to the receiver corps in Miami?) – “It’s not the Canes shirt, but you’ve got Canes colors on… There’s no disrespect, it’s more than Andre Johnson went to the U and just recognizing strong question. You’ve been on tilt for this, haven’t you? You’ve been holding that in the holster. I love the example of a very talented player that made the most of his NFL career, that has no regrets because he combined that talent with ambition and desire of development. 2006 we got to Houston; I’ll never forget it. I give him a hard time whenever I see him, but that first year in 2006 – obviously great player, best player on our team and did some great stuff for us – but the whole year as position coach, Kyle Shanahan would just show him Steve Smith highlights and how he caught the ball and it just used to irritate Andre. And so that first offseason we ever had him like going into our second year, he went into the lab, went and trained and came back like almost on a man on a mission just to prove Kyle wrong about how he was catching the ball and like, ‘Steve Smith does this? OK, I’ll do this.’ And he came out the gate in 2007, two really strong games, ended up getting injured. Came back, had a good season and then had the career-changing numbers the following season in 2008. So you watched it live speed happen, you watched him do it through work tied with unbelievable gifts. I think for all players, I wouldn’t be doing an injustice at all by really looking at the way Andre handled his career and making that the standard for how people – like you have whatever talents you have available to you and regardless of how talented that is, being able to maximize those talents by the way you approach the game, it’s inspiring. He was the first player that I ever was fortunate enough to be around that was the best talent and the hardest worker.”
(Why Steve Smith though?) – “Well, 2006, that was – two-part – the prime of Steve Smith’s career. He was doing a ton of things with YAC based on how he caught the ball, so smaller dude, but he would aggressively attack slants with his hands. Andre had great hands, but he would catch with his body all things even at that time. And so then showing the residual effects of how Steve caught the ball both annoyed and motivated ‘Dre’ (Andre Johnson) to the point of a lot of hours of training and the great thing was, ‘Dre’ you proved us wrong. We win, you know? So everybody won, it was good.”
(We saw how they were used last year, but I’m curious how you would characterize the competition between the running backs right now and what do you think about what you’ve seen from RB De’Von Achane so far?) – “I think we are very fortunate to have a group of running backs that really from across the board, it’s hard to even say top to bottom because there’s such great competition and you wouldn’t be doing justice to the entire group if you were trying to crown this person or that person, but the whole group, pretty much led by Raheem (Mostert), it is of quality and depth as good as I’ve been around and been around a lot of good groups. I think the position in general, we have a lot of skill sets that their ability to affect the game is multiple so that we’ve been getting a lot of the guys different work within the offense at different places just to kind of expand their game. I think that I have literally spent zero time trying to forecast that room because I recognize supreme competition when I see it, and the great news is instead of saying what I believe or forecast, I get to just watch and allow the players determine all that for us. I know one thing; we’re going to get the best version of each individual because of that room and the way they embrace the competition while encouraging each other and having a strong relationship with teammates within that position groups is non-negotiable for those guys. All of those guys really, really lean into the fact of we want everyone to do their best and that’s where I want to succeed, not because somebody else fails. So I think that character – there’s residuals to that. I think that for your team, it’s a big deal when you have competition that’s healthy because you get the best versions of people and it manifests itself across a lot of positions, I think.”
(I know that players can sometimes use these and training camp practices to kind of tweak their game to get better, step back to take two steps forward. But how do you guys balance the evaluation of a player – maybe you’re trying to work on some things versus ultimately deciding who makes the 53-man roster?) – “That’s a tricky, tricky thing that we try to break down here with our coach-to-player relationships and what I mean by that is players are conditioned to say, ‘Well, a correction or a caveat to your game means that that’s bad.’ So you’re trying to for us in this offseason, is establish the healthy relationship boundaries of no, you want a coach to have something to help you and you want that – not criticism – more attention to your game and whether it comes in a negative or positive light, if you’re constantly bringing up how people respond and paying attention to that and they can feel that it’s more about – like for me, I want to see the next target towards a receiver after he drops a pass. I’m much less concerned about that pass that he dropped in the spring. I know he’s trying to catch it, but what I do find out that you can’t really substitute is, alright, well when something bad happens which will inevitably happen every single time he plays football, how is he going to respond. And when players start to understand from each position that that’s what we’re focused on, you get the right type of energy that’s not short-term result based. ‘Oh, there’s an incompletion,’ you start cussing. Or if it’s good, ‘OK, I can take the pressures off.’ No, this is a big-picture assignment. We’re trying to attack things with a game-like mentality more so than our opponents and then work through those residual added game reps, is the whole kind of mindset and I think practice becomes real fun when you’re using it not having it define you for the short term.”
(I wanted to ask you about QB Tua Tagovailoa. In the practices that we have been here, he either has not attended or he has not participated in 11-on-11s. If that trend continues while the contract negotiation continues, how could that potentially impact the offense?) – “I would’ve had an ulcer and a panic attack if I tried to forecast anything that comes to my plate on a daily basis. I haven’t extrapolated in that way. What we’ve been focused on is communicating with each other. The knowns are that Tua’s representation and our front office are negotiating a contract. As a player, Tua, and myself as a coach, what should our focus be on? Right, wrong or indifferent, we’re going to be held accountable for the ultimate product. Whatever way you want to see it, the piper has to be paid, so to speak, so how can we make sure that we are delivering on what we’re bound and determined is non-negotiable of developing this offseason. Well, maybe it makes more sense to, in this situation, do 7-on-7 or pass. Well, that’s an opportunity, if you take more reps, if we’re identifying specific things in our game that we’re trying to improve. That can’t be a complete substitution over time. There is something at some point that I think it’s important for us to communicate and get in front of when we’re not able to follow through with our ultimate objectives. But that’s what him and I have discussed and are fully focused on in our conversations, which is how do we improve certain things about our game. I think we found ways to do that in our current orchestration and that is not, like everything in life, infinite. At some point in time, that will be important, but for me to think that’s on the radar of even being a possibility of an issue, I’m not worried about that being the case. I also can’t say that wouldn’t be the case. Again, I try to stay in my lane to do what Tua is counting on me to do, which is get him better in every way, shape and form, and that’s what we’ll be doing today.”
(Speaking of QB Tua Tagovailoa, there’s a lot that’s been said about his slimmer physique. His teammates have had some jokes as well. I’m curious, from your perspective, on the field, how have you seen this version of Tua and maybe the movement aspect translate?) – “Seems stuck. I’m OK not being the tallest guy or the most physically-imposing. But to have a lesser joke, and I caught wind of ‘Reek’s (Tyreek Hill), and that was so strong that I was literally mad. ‘Man, I should have thought of that joke. It’s so topical.’ (laughter) But I think when your standard is that the same is worse and you’re trying to chase the best version of yourself, you find different things. We were problem solving last offseason, he went full-tilt into that, that rendered some great results. There were also some unintended consequences of the strength. Honestly, it’s just Tua trying to find another level of his game and another level of being a professional. It happens to a lot of players where all of a sudden you become pseudo-dieticians several years into your career but definitely not at the start. Seeing ways that he could maintain the strength but create some more flexibility and power, or however you want to look at it – who is the dude who drives the ball far on the PGA Tour, (Bryson) DeChambeau? So he just channeled his quarterback version of that, I guess. (laughter) It wasn’t to correct something that needed fixed. It was an opportunity to get better, in his mind I think. And ultimately, we’ll see how he does at read option and if he’s trying to be an option quarterback, how svelte is svelte? (laughter) But anything that helps you attack your job and solve problems – problems that he’s more aware of now than he was last year or the year before, just in terms of being a problem-solver at your position – you learn different things and you find value in different things. I think he’s maturing as a professional and really going after the annual offseason of ‘How do we get better?’ Not if.”
(A common refrain kind of talking about the evolution of QB Tua Tagovailoa is that last year was the bulkier version of him stayed healthy and led the league in passing. How do you balance that aspect with maybe the new version of him that may not be as bulky? The health with the mobility doesn’t always seem to…) – “It was a very concrete thing that we were trying to solve last year with regard to physical preparation. That was his ability to be available as much as he can. But more importantly, for him to have the life that he wants and to play the quarterback position, and how to keep himself healthy, we identified the ground as the big opponent that we had to defeat. So strength training those particular things while also drilling stuff for the first time, we saw unbelievable results in terms of every situation that he was presented with. He was able to provide the technique and he had the strength to do it. So you don’t know what that is. It was uncharted territory to kind of like work on training stunt doubles or something how to fall. That was uncharted territory, but you establish the strength and how to protect yourself so now you can go back to what are the things that help me do my job to maximum ability, not shortchanging any sort of strength. He is really taking his diet serious. And he hasn’t done things to lose weight, he’s done things to be in shape. I would be pumped about where he’s at now, maybe predisposed to a hair of body shaming from last year if you want to do that retroactively. But to be fair, not many people were going about things that way to be as proactive with something of that nature with jiu-jitsu. He was training jiu-jitsu and calling it something else I think at one point – judo. But he really went after it and then you find out new things. Just like every year, we’re trying our best to do the best football plays. We learn more about football plays and defenses and stuff, and we do new plays the next year a little bit. That maturation I think is an example of how he is as a professional, and understanding what his job is to the team and to the franchise. He’s going after it and controlling all of the things that he can control.”
Kendall Fuller – June 5, 2024
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Wednesday, June 5, 2024
CB Kendall Fuller
(How’s the first few months as a Miami Dolphin been for you?) – “It’s been fun, just being around the guys, getting in the building, getting adjusted out here and moving in, just little stuff like that. So it’s been fun.”
(What’s your impression of what Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver wants?) – “I mean, he just wants guys that are going to fly around, especially right now. Everybody – we’re all learning a new system, there’s going to be some mistakes. But just guys going out there, playing fast, playing physical and the more we go on, the more we’ll start executing more and more. But we’ve been looking good, flying around. So it’s been fun to watch.”
(How are you physically in this stage of your career?) – “I feel good man. I’m all about routine. I think at this point, so many guys have their routine that works for them. And you just stick to the routine and trust and know that’s going to get you to where you need to be.”
(How do you balance fine tuning individual things that you want to work with in practice but also try to stay within the structure of a new system and trying to learn that?) – “I mean that’s part of football. You got to learn what you can do different techniques that you may have to how it fits in with the system and what you’re being asked to do. So you learn that as you’re out there and while you’re out there on the field – that’s what this is for. That’s what you do in training camp and in practice and what you practice for, to see what works and see what doesn’t work.”
(Do you think that in training camp you’ll get the chance to take some reps both from the outside and inside position?) – “I’m not sure. I mean all of us are flexible guys that play multiple positions. So whatever the coaches want to do, wherever they’re looking, whatever they’re thinking is where any of us go.”
(Have you got the chance to hang around CB Jalen Ramsey a little bit this spring?) – “Yeah, this week all of us have been hanging around a lot and things like that. Me and Jalen (Ramsey) both came into the league the same time, played with some players, shared some of the same coaches. So just laughing and talking about some of that and things like that. It’s going to be fun just to get to know everybody, not just players but staff members, equipment staff, everything like that.”
(How much value if you could measure just being out here on the grass with the guys, you and CB Jalen Ramsey getting these reps together, what’s the value of that before heading into the summer break?) – “I mean ultimately, it’s just fun. Just to be able to come out here with these guys that you’re ultimately going to be going to war with, it’s definitely fun. All of us are – for the most part, a lot of us are going to be out here in the summer just working out doing our own thing, but an opportunity for us to get up and keep on building that camaraderie. Especially once you go through training camps together, grinding through the season, so it’s something we’re all looking forward to and none of us take for granted.”
(How would you describe Cornerbacks Coach Mathieu Araujo coaching style so far?) – “He’s good man. Young, a lot of energy, but also a lot of knowledge. It’s been fun working with him. Very detailed in things that he’s looking for and things he wants us to do. Just brings good energy, has high expectations for us and tries to hold us to those expectations. So it’s been fun working with him.”
(This is your first live reps against WR Jaylen Waddle this week. What have you seen?) – “Speed. A lot of speed, but also just everything from his releases. Just the preparation in all his routes, making sure everything looks the same. He’s definitely what I’ve seen on tape from the last couple years.”
(How does the talent level in the defensive backs room compare to some of the groups that you’ve had over the years?) – “I mean it’s great talent. It’s the NFL man. You play with so many talented guys at every position, whether that’s starters, whether that’s dudes like Jalen (Ramsey) who will probably be a future Hall-of-Famer, guys third or fourth on the depth chart. That’s probably the biggest difference between college and NFL, everybody has talent. Everybody can play. So it’s just fun to build the relations here with these guys.”
(How do you think training camp will help with regards to your group going against WR Tyreek Hill, WR Jaylen Waddle, WR Odell Beckham Jr., guys like that?) – “Yeah, I mean just working and just competing. Competing, getting each other better, learning from each other – that’s what training camp is for. We’re competitors, but we’re teammates at the same time. We go get a rep, one person wins, one person loses. Talking about it, learning, seeing where you can do better. Seeing what the other person saw and things like that, so it’s going to be fun just to compete.”
(Will I notice you jawing or even getting physical with your own guys due to the competition or are you not much of a talker?) – “Nah, I’m not much of a talker. Especially when it comes to the trash talk. If I’m talking, I’m communicating with the guys on defense.”
(As far as the focus of this defense, you have that championship DNA that you and CB Jalen Ramsey bring to the team. When you look at that at this point and knowing the stuff that it takes to get to that level, how comfortable do you feel saying this team has that level of reaching that point?) – “Yeah, I mean you can feel comfortable, but at the end of the day we have to keep on working. If we were sitting here after minicamp – if anyone sits there after a minicamp, especially with a new system, saying, ‘Oh yeah, we’re where we need to be,’ no team whether it’s a new system or old system is where they need to be in June. That’s going to be up to how we work in training camp and throughout the season and things like that. But with the coaches that we have, the guys that we have and the intent that everybody has for that being our goal and the intent to work towards that is definitely fun to be a part of.”
(How have you been adjusting to being in South Florida? Enjoying the weather?) – “Yeah, I train out here every summer so I was somewhat familiar with it. But definitely it’s different training in South Florida than playing football in South Florida. That’s been fun man. Just getting around and having the little stuff like F1, the tennis tournament, things like that so just being able to do things and getting around your teammates like that so I’ve been enjoying it.”
(So you would say Miami is pretty much the best place to play in the NFL?) – “I mean there’s so much going on. I tell people you definitely have to be locked in and you have to be focused, but it’s also somewhere that as athletes, you have to be able to get away from football and it gives you the opportunity to do that.”
(CB Jalen Ramsey had some pretty high praise for you, he said you guys go way back. He was saying you are going to have big shoes to fill. Can you tell us about that?) – “Yeah, I mean Jalen (Ramsey) and Xavien Howard – Xavien Howard was here for eight years, he played tremendous football. I’ve always been a fan of him. All of us came out the same year, so I’ve always kept up with those guys, Jalen, ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) and just the level they’ve been able to play at for so many years. But my biggest thing is just going out there and playing football. I’m just doing what I can do to get out there and make plays that help us win games, and that’s the only thing I can focus on.”
Jalen Ramsey – June 5, 2024
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Wednesday, June 5, 2024
CB Jalen Ramsey
(What are some things you’ve been working on this offseason to just try to improve and detail your craft?) – “Just the basics, same old same old. This is Year 9 for me, I know what it takes to be successful. We’ve got a new defense, just focusing on making sure I know the new defense and know all the positions in the defense. That’s it.”
(What’s it been like working with Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver?) – “It’s been cool. It’s been fun so far. A lot of communication between us two. I think he’ll let me show my full skill set once again this year, so it should be fun.”
(What have you noticed as far as the differences between with Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver and Vic Fangio last year?) – “I’m not going to compare them. I’m not going to sit here and do that. Y’all can do that on your own, but I think he’s a great coach. I think he’s a good hire. I think he’ll put guys in position to do really good things and show their whole skill sets. That’s fun – it makes the game fun.”
(Now that you’ve had an entire offseason to get over that injury you had, how much better do you feel now maybe than November or December last year?) – “I mean if I didn’t feel good, I wouldn’t have played last year.”
(So you were the whole way back last year?) – “I mean I played and I was a Pro Bowler, so I did pretty well.”
(How much do you just enjoy the full slate of lining up in different places and being involved in several facets of the defense, not just staying on one side?) – “Those are things that I’ve done throughout my whole career besides last year. Last year was the only time I didn’t follow and only stayed on one side of the field. So last year was kind of a different year for me rather than this being different. This is like back to what I do, back to where I thrive and made impact and have a lot of fun playing the game.”
(We haven’t spoken to you since the Xavien Howard move. What was your reaction then and what do you think of CB Kendall Fuller now coming in?) – “’X’ (Xavien Howard) is always going to be my dude. That’s my guy. I wish he could still be a part of the team. Business is business, I understand it, but I’m always rooting for him. Arguably the best corner in Dolphins history, so that’s my guy. But me and Kendall (Fuller) go way back to like high school, so that’s my guy too. It’ll be fun teaming up with him.”
(What’s it like now having S Jordan Poyer in the secondary? A veteran like that along with yourself, just a lot of veteran presence now in the secondary.) – “It’s cool. It’s cool, I ain’t been able to – we ain’t played no games, just a couple practices together, but it’s cool. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and what he’s done in his career thus far. Glad to have him a part of this defense, I think he brings a lot of knowledge to this defense along with his skill set. I think he’s a really good player and can make a lot of plays and also can make a lot of impact with the team. I think him and Jevon (Holland) can be one of the best duos in the league. I’m just really looking forward to them being the guys back there.”
(You have a new Cornerbacks Coach Mathieu Araujo. What can you tell us about him?) – “Yeah, he was here last year as an assistant. We had a good relationship last year and it’s just grown throughout the offseason and now into this minicamp. That’s my guy.”
(I wanted to ask you about what you think of WR Odell Beckham Jr. and just how excited you are to be able to play with him again?) – “It’s cool. It’s cool – I don’t know what you want me to say, but it’s cool. (laughter) That’s my brother. We have history playing on the same team in L.A., but now is now. I want to be on the same team as all my friends, so it’s cool.”
Jonnu Smith – June 5, 2024
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Wednesday, June 5, 2024
TE Jonnu Smith
(How has it been since you’ve been back down practicing and getting acquainted with the team?) – “Everything has been going great. Definitely getting acclimated, always good to be around during Phase 1, 2 and 3. Just getting used to your teammates, building that camaraderie, building that chemistry, it’s been going awesome. I’m excited to be here.”
(How similar is this to anything you’ve run in your past?) – “It’s a lot of familiar concepts. I’ve been around this offense for quite some time now – my first stint in Tennessee and obviously Atlanta. So coming in a lot more comfortable with the terminology, a lot more comfortable with the concepts and knowing what we want done as a offense. I would say the transition for me has been a pretty smooth one.”
(Have you had the chanced to visit FIU since you’ve been back?) – “I have. I have, this is home. I’m a stone’s throw away from where a part of my journey started. It’s very humbling. Every day I wake up and I still feel like I’m dreaming. There is no place I’d rather be, and there no better place for me. Again man, I’m beyond excited to be a Dolphin.”
(When you look at this offense and the potential, do you think it’s possible to have three 1,000-yard pass catchers?) – “Man, the sky is the limit with these guys. I feel like I’ve said this every year literally because it’s been my honest opinion. That’s just the way my career has went, that’s just the journey I’ve been on and the people I’ve been around. But this is by far the most explosive, talented stacked team I’ve ever been a part of. I’m not even going to say offensively, just as far as a team. Now, what does that mean right now in the beginning of June? Nothing – we’ve got to go out there and continue to put the work in. We all know that and we all believe in that. So as long as we have the mindset that we know who we are and what we can do, and we come in here and work with that mindset, I think we will be very satisfied with the results.”
(How does Father’s Day look for you?) – “I appreciate that man. It’s going to be me and my four babies, my wife by my side and all our family. So definitely excited, it’s good to be home. It’s good to be home with my kids and I don’t have to travel. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Jaylen Waddle – June 4, 2024
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Tuesday, June 4, 2024
WR Jaylen Waddle
(Is dinner on you this week out with the boys?) – “I mean, it could be. I don’t think we’re going out or nothing, but it could be, take the guys out.”
(What’s your reaction to your new contract?) – “It’s a blessing, man. A blessing. It’s always a blessing to get an extension from an organization that brought you into this league. Yeah, blessing man.”
(At what point were you confident that something would get done?) – “You never know, man. It’s a business part on both sides, so you never know. It made sense for both sides, and we were able to get it done.”
(Seeing your buddy get one, did that kind of light a fire under you in DeVonta Smith?) – “Not really. A lot of guys – y’all have seen the receiver market is going crazy right now. So a lot of guys got paid, but no, not really.”
(What does the contract tell you about how the organization feels about you?) – “That they’re confident in me. Like I said man, they brought me into this league taking a chance – I was 22 (years old) coming off a major injury. So it’s always been love since I got here, and we were just happy to get something done.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa told us about the group chat that you guys have. What’s the funniest remark you got after you resigned?) – “‘T. Stead’ (Terron Armstead) had some memes in there that were pretty funny. (laughter) So I think that was the funniest one that we got.”
(What do you think of WR Tyreek Hill’s ‘28’ nickname for you?) – “That’s Tyreek, bro. He’s going to everybody saying that. Odell (Beckham Jr.) started saying ‘28’ and some other stuff. I don’t know, those guys are clowns.”
(You obviously came here without him, but can you talk about the impact WR Tyreek Hill has had over the last couple years with you?) – “Tyreek (Hill) has been great. That’s my big bro. He helps me in all type of ways, off the field, on the field. Just really letting me be by his side and learn from him and he’s really able to teach me what makes him him.”
(So now you’re locked in through 2028. How much do you want to see your quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa get paid with a long-term extension?) – “Yeah, Tua is my guy. I’ve been saying that for a long time. Without Tua, I don’t think I would’ve got the extension I got. So everybody is rooting for him. He’s our guy. Make sense, let’s get it done.”
(You, WR Odell Beckham Jr. and WR Tyreek Hill have not been on the field together yet, correct? Am I right in that, or have you?) – “No, not yet.”
(What’s your anticipation level like? You can’t wait? Or are you pretty chill about that? How are you feeling about that?) – “I can’t wait, man. Like I said, when I was in high school, these guys were getting it done in the league. So I was a fan of ‘OBJ’ (Odell Beckham Jr.), I was a fan of Tyreek Hill. They’re like the head honchos of the pass era, so playing with them, the kid in me is going to be kind of excited.”
(Another question about your contract. Now that it’s done, do you feel an obligation to the team now to get these guys to the next level?) – “Not an obligation, I’m just here to do my job. Make plays and help the team win.”
(We’ve seen a lot of videos of you working out this offseason. Are there a couple of things that you focused on specifically to get better at coming into 2024?) – “Yeah man, a lot of things. Quick game is something I was going to emphasize on, I felt like I needed to work on it more in the offseason. It’s something that we really emphasized on, me and my trainer – shout out Gold Feet, my guy. So yeah, we’ve been working.”
(What’s the next level for this offense in your opinion?) – “Just staying consistent man throughout the year, making the big plays in big games in big moments and really putting the team on our back when we need to. That’s going to be the next step for us.”
(There’s been a lot of talk about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s different look, especially the weight. I’m curious your thoughts about how you see him?) – “I told him – I missed chubby Tua, man. (laughter) I miss chubby Tua, man. I ain’t going to lie, I didn’t like when I saw him. I told him, I’m not (expletive) with it. I told him straight up, I’m not (expletive) with it. Eat some more or something, man.”
(Is his personality a little different too?) – “Yeah, facts. Hair twisted and some other… (laughter) I’m loving it though. He’s looking good, feeling good. Got to throw with him a lot this offseason, so he’s looking good.”
(I’m sure you want to be with WR Tyreek Hill for a long time. What are your thoughts on one day being the No. 1 during the long-term duration of this contract at some point?) – “Nah man, right now we’re just focused on the season. We’ve got a great group of guys led by Tyreek Hill. I’m just going to fill in when I need to fill in and make plays. We’re going to get to it.”
Tyreek Hill – June 4, 2024
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Tuesday, June 4, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(How are you doing today?) – “I’m doing great. I’m feeling fabulous, feeling healthy, feeling vibey. It’s great to be back in Miami for another year. It’s amazing to be around the guys once again. It’s a great feeling. As you all can see, I’ve been all around the world getting my (expletive) torched by kids. But I’m here in Miami so I’m great right now. I’m feeling good.”
(What about the contract?) – “About the contract situation, I’m going to let my agent do his job. That’s his job. His job is to be great at that, and my job is to obviously to come out here and continue to do whatever I can to help this team win. Whether that’s a restructure, whatever the case may be, we want to make sure that it benefits both sides and I want to be able to help the team as much as I can. That’s as much as I can say about it.”
(When you see guys like WR Justin Jefferson and WR A.J. Brown getting deals, what is your reaction?) – “It’s a great day in the Hill household. Everybody waking up happy. Wife waking up happy, my oldest son waking up happy, so it’s a great day. It’s a lot of pressure for me though, because at the same time, I want to be able to help the team as much as I can. Obviously, we already know being greedy ain’t going to help the team. Whatever happens, happens, man.”
(Is it challenging for you to compartmentalize it, separate it and not worry about that when you’re out there and do everything you need to do out there and put it all to the side?) – “No, it’s not. It’s not, man, because I know when I’m at work, it’s time to go to work. Whenever it’s time to talk contract with my agent or whatever the case may be, it’s time to talk contract. Wherever my feet are at, that’s where my head is at. It’s the same thing when I go home with my family. When I go home with my family, I don’t think about football. I think about what I’m going to be cooking next.”
(Can you tell us what it meant to see WR Jaylen Waddle get paid, and what’s it meant to be kind of a mentor for him over the years?) – “It’s great. It’s been awesome, man. Just to see his whole development from where he’s come from, because when I first got here, there were a lot of things that needed to be cleaned up. I was the same way too though – young pup, very explosive, fast, could move with some of the best of them. But as far as with Jaylen (Waddle), he’s done a great job of taking on some of the things I’ve been telling him, and we have such a tremendous receiver coach in Wes Welker that he’s been listening to him also. Just to see him get paid, just to see him get recognized as one of the top guys in this league is awesome. It’s fun. Now his new nickname from me is 28. Every time I see him, I say, ‘What’s up, 28?’ It’s fun.”
(You said a lot about how you want to retire a Dolphin. Head Coach Mike McDaniel talked about it today. For you, if it comes down to maximizing your earnings and insuring that you’re a Dolphin for life, what wins out?) – “Insuring I’m a Dolphin for life – that’s No. 1. That’s priority No. 1, man. This is obviously the best situation for myself and the family, I don’t think it could get any better. Whether it’s the living establishment, the taxes, everything, the weather – everything that comes with just living in Miami is just beautiful. We love it, and it’s awesome just to be here. Coaches are wonderful, teammates are wonderful. I’m like a 20-minute flight away from the Bahamas. I could just go to Baha Mar anytime I want to and do what I got to do.”
(Regarding your status in the league, we know you’re obviously one of the top receivers. Do you feel like you always should be paid like that, should you always be a top five paid receiver?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. I feel like at the end of the day, if you feel like you’re top five at something – that’s like of you worked at Amazon. If you are one of the best Amazon delivery drivers, you’re going to feel some type of way. You’re going to go to your boss and say, ‘Hey bro, I’m doing 100 routes, and this person only doing 65 routes. I’m supposed to be the top paid person.’ You feel me? So if you feel like you deserve something, go get it.”
(How do you feel about QB Tua Tagovailoa’s situation in terms of the fact that the contract still hasn’t gotten done for him?) – “Tua should’ve been paid. I’ve been saying that this all offseason. I know we have a great front office with (General Manager Chris) Grier and (Senior Vice President of Football & Business Administration Brandon) Shore, and they are going to get it done. Obviously, a lot of people are comparing it to the Jared Goff situation and stuff like that. But I feel like Tua is supposed to be up there with some of them guys and passed some of them guys, because just understanding his story and just the progression of how he’s getting better each year and how he’s carrying this offense, it’s crazy. He’s going to continue to get better. I feel like when you get a new contract, they are not paying you for what you did. It’s almost like an investment of what you’re going to do in the future. He’s continually getting better. He’s gradually getting better each and every year. Last year was Pro Bowl, this year a playoff win and much more. Tua should’ve been paid.”
(What are you seeing out of QB Tua Tagovailoa right now? Physically it seems to be a very slimmed down Tua.) – “What I’m seeing out of Tua… I ain’t going to lie, when I saw Tua at the Pro Bowl, I was kind of scared – dude was fat as (expletive). (laughter) He was fat, he was chubby. I was like hold on, bro. Hold on, bro. Ryan Clark said you were kind of thick, he wasn’t lying. But seeing him now and where he’s come from and how skinny he has gotten – what’s that stuff everybody is taking? Ozempic? He had to be taking that, I don’t know. (laughter) What I’m seeing from him now is a lot of guys are getting together outside of here. Hanging out, running routes together, spending off field time together, and Tua is going a great job of orchestrating that. That’s a beautiful thing, because our first few years, we would do it here and there. But this year, he’s really honing in on the guys, hanging out, building that camaraderie with each other, that’s a beautiful thing, man. For him to have such leadership within that and to be a family man, it’s a beautiful thing. He’s growing. He’s growing, and you can obviously see it whenever we step out on the field and we don’t have all of our pieces out there – with myself, with (Jaylen) Waddle in the mix, with Jonnu (Smith), all the guys, Raheem (Mostert), (De’Von) Achane, all of us clicking all at once. It’s going to be a beautiful thing man, I’m excited for this year.”
Tua Tagovailoa – June 4, 2024
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
QB Tua Tagovailoa
(You wouldn’t tell us back in March whenever we saw you at your event that you were losing weight, but you’re losing weight, man. What are you down to now?) – “I don’t know. It’s whatever I’m down to right now.”
(What was the reasoning behind it?) – “I felt like I’d be better. I feel better, quicker on my feet, more nimble, all of that.”
(What do you feel you can add to your game at that weight?) – “Probably extending plays more this offseason and then during the season, training camp, all of that.”
(What have you picked up from working with John Beck, two or three things?) – “Just sort of using my hips, getting my hips more involved with my throwing and sort of the rubber band theory. If you guys know about that, you know about it. If you don’t, I don’t want to explain it right now so I’m not going to explain it, but it’s sort of the rubber band theory.”
(Is this as low as you get weight wise or are you still trying to slim down from here?) – “You’ll see during training camp, we’ll see.”
(Is it more diet or just…?) – “It’s everything – diet and exercise.”
(Is there a food you gave up that you really hate to give up?) – “Just sugar. (laughter) Sugar, you just give up sugar. Give up sugar, you should be good.”
(WR Tyreek Hill mentioned getting you guys together a lot this offseason. Is that something you’ve tried to increase more this offseason?) – “I’ve got together with a couple of these guys more of this offseason, in regards to things that are going on. So I got with those guys a lot more, and we’ve been working a lot more.”
(Do you think of a different physical stature like every time you check in? Like last year it was more muscle. Does it take a few weeks to kind of get used to your new physical state to do what you want to do out there?) – “Not really, just because you’re training with the weight that you have and even the weight that you lose, so your body sort of gets used to it as you’re training. So it’s not like it happens all overnight. No, it’s a subtle change and as you start to shred, you get used to holding that weight. You get used to moving around with that weight and whatnot, so it’s not much of a change in that sense.”
(How concerned are you with your contract situation? And have you observed other quarterbacks around the league as they’ve gotten paid?) – “I mean, I’m not blind to people that are in my position that are getting paid. Am I concerned about it? I’m not concerned about it, but there’s a lot of discussion that we’ve had that we just are trying to move that thing into the right direction where we can both be happy.”
(Are you involved in it personally? Does your agent update you every time there are talks?) – “My agent updates me, but for me, I don’t like updates every time. Like you don’t got to tell me the little things, just tell me things that matter. Are we getting to where we want to or are we not? That’s it.”
(Did you think there’d be more progress at this point?) – “Well, I think there’s been a lot of progress at this point. From where we started, there’s been a lot of progress. Now, you can ask the other question, then why aren’t we seeing an agreement? Well that’s the tough part about it – that’s why it’s business. That’s why you’ve got one side and the other trying to work to meet in the middle.”
(How much did your contract negotiation have to do with your attendance during the first part of offseason program?) – “That I don’t know. I don’t control any of that. I control if I come or not, but I don’t control how they think about that.”
(Do you view those numbers that others get around the league as benchmarks for your negotiations like Jared Goff getting $53 million per year?) – “I’ll tell you one thing; the market is the market. If we didn’t have a market, then none of that would matter. It would just be an organizational thing. It didn’t matter if that guy got paid that because it’s up to the organization. So that’s what I would say – the market is the market. That’s it.”
(Are you confident that a deal will get done before training camp?) – “I’m confident that a deal will get done. But then again, it’s not in my control. It’s really up to both sides meeting in the middle with this.”
(You’re a passionate and emotional guy. Is it difficult for you to separate the two things out there?) – “Yeah, 100 percent, 100 percent. For people that talk about business is different than personal, sure, I can agree to some extent. But who you are as a person, for what you do business and personal, is who you are with how you do everything. That’s how I see it. That’s just how I look at it. And if not, if you can be two different people at once, hey by all means you can do that. But to me, that’s just not how I am.”
(Are you frustrated with where things stand right now?) – “Not frustrated, I’m another word.”
(Agitated? Annoyed? Bothered?) – “I just want to get something done, that’s it. Just want to get something done.”
(Concerned? Is that…?) – “Not concerned. Concerned is not the right word. That’s way off from the word.”
(Antsy maybe?) – “Probably antsy.”
(Pissed off?) – “I wouldn’t say pissed off. I mean, this is the nature of the beast, right? This is how it goes.”
(What was your reaction seeing WR Jaylen Waddle get his deal?) – “I was excited. I texted him. We all texted each other – Jalen Ramsey, Terron Armstead, ‘Reek’ (Tyreek Hill). We all texted each other in a group chat congratulating him.”
(That’s got to be a fun group chat?) – “I mean, (laughter). Those guys are hilarious, I’ll tell you. But I’m happy for my boy.”
(With that rubber band theory, what’s the football benefit to that?) – “The football benefit to the rubber band theory? It’s seamless when you throw. So your hips go before your upper body, and then it’s sort of like when you release it, it just snaps. Just a flick of the wrist, but that ball takes off for you.”
