A 10-pack of Dolphins notes on a Thursday:
▪ Why did the Dolphins play outside linebacker Tyus Bowser ahead of rookie Mo Kamara just three days after Bowser signed with the team before the New England game?
A couple of things learned this week:
1). Kamara, speaking at his locker, conceded: “I know I’m not ready yet. I have to continue to get better. That’s what coach [Ryan] Crow said.”
Kamara, who had 30.5 sacks in five years at Colorado State (including 13 last season), hasn’t played a single snap this season.
2). Though the Dolphins didn’t bring Bowser in for a visit during the offseason, they had him in the back of their mind, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver revealed Thursday.
“We were keeping an eye on him,” Weaver said when asked if he discussed Bowser — whom he coached in Baltimore — with general manager Chris Grier during the spring. “When I first got here, he wasn’t cleared to play [because of a knee injury].
“I thought he would be a seamless fit to the defense. He had [seven] sacks [in 2021]. You can rush him from multiple spots — inside, [outside]. He knows every drop with detail. He adds tremendous value to us.”
Weaver noted that when Rex Ryan became Jets coach in 2009, he brought in defensive players Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard because of their skill and their mastery of his system. The thinking was similar with Bowser.
“Tyus is a guy I have history with,” Weaver said. “Unfortunately, he missed last season dealing with things with his knee. I think Tyus is a tremendous player. He can play multiple positions; the sky is the limit for him. I’ve been keeping an eye on Tyus for a while.”
Bowser said he and Weaver kept in touch in the past year. He said he finally “got settled” in Seattle, as a member of the Seahawks practice squad, when the Dolphins poached him two weeks ago.
“I can rush and drop and think on the fly,” he said of his game.
Calais Campbell said Bowser “probably knows the defense better than anybody, better than everybody, honestly. He’s a real cerebral guy, very dependable. A lot of ball games, time shared on the field with him, and he’s probably been one of the most dependable teammates that I’ve had in my career.”
▪ Every player on the Dolphins’ 53-man roster practiced Thursday, but six were limited: linebacker David Long Jr. (knee), outside linebackers Emmanuel Ogbah (bicep) and Mo Kamara (ankle), safeties Jevon Holland (hand) and Jordan Poyer (shin) and offensive tackle Kendall Lamm (elbow).
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who has an ankle injury, didn’t practice, leaving his status for Sunday very much in doubt. Quarterback Anthony Richardson (oblique) practiced fully and remains on track to start Sunday.
▪ Ogbah said Thursday that he sustained the injury when he reached out to try to sack Jacoby Brissett against New England.
He declined to say if he definitely would play Sunday but said he feels “good” and the range of motion with his arm is fine.
▪ Raheem Mostert, who ran 19 times for 80 yards against New England, said he’s fully over the chest injury sustained in the season opener.
Mostert said quarterback Tyler Huntley told me, “You make a little difference when you’re back.”
Mostert said Huntley is now “feeling a little more relaxed in this offense.”
▪ Tyreek Hill, on the Jets acquiring Davante Adams and the Bills trading for Amari Cooper: “They’re still not the best receiver in the league, because I am and I stand on that,” Hill said, smiling.
“I’m definitely happy for Davante teaming back up with his old quarterback; I know that’s obviously where he wanted to be. And for Amari, I think him and Josh Allen will play very well together, because Amari is still one of those guys that can get open. It’s going to be a good test for our DBs when we play them, but we got Jalen Ramsey on our team.”
▪ Tight end Jonnu Smith had eight targets against New England after having just 13 in the first four games.
“Once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s very effective downfield,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. “We were looking at areas we can really improve, and it’s making sure we’re utilizing all of our guys in the pass game and run game.”
Jaylen Waddle said of Jonnu Smith: “We got a lot of weapons and the more we use all of our weapons, the more a defense has got to respect us and not try to double-team ‘Reek,’ try to run the easy side of coverages because anybody can ultimately go off and make you pay.”
▪ It doesn’t seem that the Dolphins’ presnap motions are flummoxing teams as much as they did the past two years, though Tua Tagovailoa’s absence also factors into that.
But Hill insisted this week that all the presnap motion is still a net positive, despite several offensive penalties that have resulted.
“I feel like the presnap motions have been helping us a lot, whether that’s getting bump coverage off me and Waddle so we can have those free releases,” Hill said. “Whether that’s trying to figure out what kind of defense they are playing, are they running shell, are they running cover four — presnap motions have been helping us out a lot.”
▪ After a procedure to repair a partially torn ACL this week, outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips said on social media: “Surgery was a success!!! On the road to recovery.”
He should be back for the start of next season.
“Adversity he was hit with, a lesser person you can see crumbling,” Weaver said. “He has not done that. He has faced it head on.”
▪ The Dolphins have high hopes for undrafted rookie cornerback Storm Duck.
“He has a natural quiet confidence about his game,” cornerbacks coach Mathieu Araujo said. “Tough kid who can be coached really hard. He’s confident, so he’s patient.
“He’s able to get his hands on guys when in press and flatten guys out. The thing you look for in corners is how poised they are when the ball is down the field. He’s naturally poised. He has made such progression from when he first came in as an undrafted guy. You have confidence as a coach because you know he will do the right thing and run to the ball.”
▪ Fox is sending Dolphins-Colts to South Florida, Naples-Fort Myers, Pensacola, Jacksonville and parts of Indiana and Kentucky. See 506sports.com for Sunday’s regionalization maps.
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