MIAMI GARDENS ― The Jeff Hafley regime entered a new chapter Wednesday (July 29) with the first Miami Dolphins training camp practice under the new coach.
Practice began with players stretching indoors, as has been their custom in previous regimes, before heading outside to the sunshine (and heat).
The practice lasted about 1 hour, 45 minutes.
Practice was more than an hour old, with position-specific drills, before turning up the volume a bit with 11-on-11 drills, albeit without pads. The pads come on Sunday.
Quarterback Malik Willis had a good day, finding his group of largely unproven receivers fairly regularly, even when under pressure in a collapsing pocket.
Willis' first pass, off play-action, was broken up by cornerback JuJu Brents. Receiver
Kevin Coleman reached high to grab Willis' next throw for a gain of about 10 yards.
Receiver Theo Wease followed with a catch of about 15.
Running backs got a fair amount of action, with De'Von Achane, Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon splitting the carries.
QB Quinn Ewers took a deep shot to Jalen Reagor despite double coverage. The pass fell incomplete. Ewers later threw a ball that was intercepted by a fellow Texas Longhorn, safety Michael Taaffe.
A Willis pass was broken up by cornerback Jason Marshall Jr.
Willis threaded a ball to tight end Greg Dulcich. He found receiver Caleb Douglas at the sticks for a 10-yard gain.
Linebacker WIllie Gay Jr. intercepted Cam Miller for what might have been a pick-6.
Although Hafley arrives with a defensive background, he split time overseeing the defense and offense, easily spotted on whichever field he was on in his bright orange, long-sleeved shirt. At one point, he pulled cornerback Chris Johnson aside for some hands-on coaching.
This and that ...
◦ Practices are closed to the public until Sunday, when fans will be allowed in.
◦ Receiver Chris Bell was in attendance but not practicing. Cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. worked on conditioning on the side.
◦ In unrelated news, all the signage for the FIFA World Cup appears to be gone, meaning Hard Rock Stadium is indeed Hard Rock Stadium once again. FIFA demanded it be referred to as "Miami Stadium" during the World Cup to protect its sponsorship dollars.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins open camp with Jeff Hafley; how did Malik Willis do?
