Day 5 Dolphins training camp report: Who impressed, who didn’t and observations

Notes and highlights from Day 5 of Dolphins training camp on Monday, the first day in pads:

▪ Tua Tagovailoa was sharp, delivering a 15-yarder to River Cracraft to open practice, then was on the money with a 20-yarder to Jaylen Waddle, and then connected with Tyreek Hill on a 20-plus yard slant.

(Hill has skipped parts of his practice to conserve his energy for a long season.)

To begin another 11 on 11 session, Tagovailoa served up a 15-yard dart to Waddle.

This was the Tagovailoa that earned the big contract - accurate and super quick with the release.

On another play, Emmanuel Ogbah broke free on Tagovailoa, but he got the ball off to Alec Ingold for a short gain. Tagovailoa also escaped pressure from Ethan Bonner for another modest completion.

Tagovailoa was good but not perfect. He barely overthrew Waddle on a throw that traveled at least 50 yards.

▪ Rookie edge player Chop Robinson had pressure on Skylar Thompson that led to a rushed, incomplete throw. Meanwhile, Quinton Bell came close to Tagovailoa on another play; it might have been ruled a sack.

Bell continues to have a strong camp in his bid to earn not just a roster spot but a rotation role in the absence of Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb.

Rookie Mo Kamara also had a sack.

▪ Cornerback Jason Maitre, the undrafted Wisconsin rookie, intercepted Mike White on a poor throw.

Backup quarterback play remains an issue. Both White and Thompson have been erratic, mixing poor throws with pretty good ones. Thompson had the better day on Monday.

On the negative side: Thompson had a pass tipped by Zeke Vandenburgh that was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey. (Vandenburgh, who missed his rookie season with an injury, has flashed at inside linebacker; unfortunately for him, that’s Miami’s deepest position on defense.)

Thompson had two exceptional plays on Monday: Chop Robinson might have had a sack on Thompson, but the play continued and he delivered a 60-yard deep TD to Tyreek Hill. Earlier, Thompson hit Braxton Berrios on a crisp crossing pattern.

Thompson also was off on at least three throws. He needed a bit more touch on a deep throw to Tanner Conner on a play that was broken up by Patrick McMorris.

Few can process and release the ball as quickly as Tagovailoa, but White needs to speed things up. But White also showed very nice touch on a 25-yard throw to a diving Braxton Berrios, who was covered tightly.

▪ Cornerback Cam Smith, who limped off with a trainer during Sunday’s practice, was not seen during Monday’s session. The severity of his injury is still being assessed.

Smith, the former second round pick, had a quiet start to camp but had been hoping to claim a significant role.

If he’s out for a while, then it would essentially be a three-player race - among Kader Kohou, Nik Needham and Bonner - for the third through fifth cornerback jobs. Former Bills special teams ace Siran Neal also is expected to be on the team.

Bonner had a significantly increased role with Smith and Conner getting a veteran rest day.

▪ Cornerback Kendall Fuller, left tackle Terron Armstead, defensive end Calais Campbell, linebacker Anthony Walker, safety Jordan Poyer and tight end Jonnu Smith sat out practice. The Dolphins continue to selectively give days off to veterans as a preventative or energy-conserving measure.

Salvon Ahmed and David Long Jr. appear to be nursing injuries.

▪ Jack Driscoll has had a couple of mishandled snaps in the first week of camp. It appears that Driscoll and Liam Eichenberg (who played center last season after Connor Williams’ injury) are being cross-trained at backup center.

Starting center Aaron Brewer and Tagovailoa also had two bobbled exchanges.

▪ Defensive lineman Zach Sieler wore the orange jersey at Monday’s practice, an acknowledgment for his good work at Sunday’s session.

▪ Tight end Jody Forston dropped a 30-yard pass from Thompson that could have gone for a very gain. Tanner Conner has made more plays than Forston early in camp, but Forston has the far better career body of work, including five TD receptions.

▪ Defensive tackle Isaiah Mack had another big day. He delivered at least one sack ,snuffed out an inside running play and then forced Thompson to throw the ball away on another sequence. Mack has flashed during camp… Defensive tackle De’Shawn Hand had some good moments in the running game.

▪ Kendall Lamm indicated this week that he’s working at both tackle spots. He very likely would be the first tackle off the bench, ahead of Patrick Paul, early in the season. Paul has had an uneven camp.

▪ Neville Gallimore had two sacks, beating Keion Smith. Offensive line coach Butch Barry coached up Smith after.

▪ Right tackle Austin Jackson had a false and then was beaten by Zach Sieler for a sack.

▪ Tennessee rookie Jaylen Wright showed his elite quickness, turning the corner for a 12-yard gain. But Wright also dropped a five-yard throw from Thompson.

▪ Elijah Campbell had a nice run stop on Achane.