Dolphins coaches dish on Beckham, drop in Hill/Waddle stats, Duck, Tindall, other issues

A six-pack of notes from Thursday’s media session with a few Dolphins assistant coaches:

▪ Wide receivers coach Wes Welker said Odell Beckham Jr. “has looked great” as he returns from an offseason knee procedure but stopped short of saying whether he will be active on Sunday in New England (1 p.m., Fox).

“In some of the routes on air, he looks like the Odell we’ve seen,” Welker said. “Very excited to get him out there and moving around. All indications are he’s looking really good. We will go through practice and talk about it as a staff and figure out the best case scenario for our team.”

Beckham is sorely needed. Per Pro Football Reference, Dolphins quarterbacks are 4 for 15 for 56 yards when targeting all wide receivers other than Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Braxton Berrios has caught none of his four targets.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries and everything else,” Welker said. “When you can add a player of Odell’s caliber and how it can open up the offense, [that will help].”

Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Beckham “will be another piece we can really use. His catch radius ball skills, separation, everything he has had in his past. He’s a fun guy to be around. He will be a piece we will be able to utilize in the passing game.”

▪ The past three games have represented the three lowest combined receiving yards for Hill and Waddle in their two-plus years as teammates. Hill had two drops Monday and Waddle had one; the lackluster play of the backup quarterbacks obviously hasn’t helped.

Welker said “they’ve been practicing their tail off” and said defensive schemes are among the reasons for the decline in production.

“After a few years of being here in this offense, people are going to play you kind of different,” Welker said. “We are seeing a lot of two shell, a lot of double-teams. We are trying to find ways to get them the ball. Obviously we want the ball in their hands. We have to look at games come to us, understanding we may have to do this, may have to do that to try to soften up this defense.”

A year after leading the league with 1,799 receiving yards, Hill ranks 28th with 217 yards. Waddle — who was 26th in receiving yards last season with 1,014 — is 31st with 212.

Asked about Hill yelling on the sidelines on Monday, as captured by ESPN cameras, Welker indicated he wasn’t bothered by it.

“It’s an emotional game and there are emotional players,” Welker said. “Tom Brady had outbursts like that. If I looked disinterested, it’s more letting players be players and let leaders be leaders. It’s their team, not ours. If it was a more somber deal, that’s worse than having someone to get the team going.”

Hill insists he wasn’t yelling at anyone on the sidelines, but merely trying to encourage rookie running back Jaylen Wright.

▪ Welker, in his first media availability since Erik Ezukanma was cut in late August and placed on the practice squad, said the third-year receiver “has been doing a great job continuing to just work. He’s a guy you don’t want to give up on with that talent, with what he can do with the ball in his hands.”

Why was veteran Dee Eskridge elevated instead of Ezukanma for the Tennessee game?

“The main reason for Dee is we needed a backup X,” Welker said. “Dee has done a great job as well, come in and has learned the offense pretty quickly.”

Eskridge has caught his one target, for 30 yards. Ezukanma was elevated for one game, and neither pass thrown in his direction was caught.

Welker said rookie receiver Malik Washington, back from a quadriceps injury, “has been great. He’s a pro’s pro as a rookie. Very pleased with him and the progress he’s made. Very coachable kid, very smart kid, very excited” about his future.

▪ Why haven’t the Dolphins gotten the ball more to tight end Jonnu Smith, who has just nine receptions and no rushing attempts?

“We have plays to utilize his skill set,” Smith said. “We have to make sure we give him the opportunities each week. He’s working to improve. Ultimately it’s on us to make sure we get better utilizing our guys.”

And why has De’Von Achane’s per-carry average dropped from 7.8 to 3.1? Smith couldn’t say.

“Right now, there are a lot of areas we need to improve on,” Smith said. “For us to get back to efficiently running the football, it isn’t just one thing or his carries in particular.”

Smith said the lack of big plays overall “has been discouraging.”

▪ Was there a moment where Dolphins coaches realized they had found something in rookie undrafted cornerback Storm Duck, who played well in Kendall Fuller’s absence on Monday?

“I don’t know how fast we realized it,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said. “There were growing pains early. I am so proud of that kid and the strides he made since he’s been here. One thing that works best in his favor is he’s unflappable. If something bad happens, next play he’s the same guy. At that position, that’s a mindset you have to have.

“He’s physical out there as a corner. You saw it on the [tackle for loss] where he ran by the wide receiver and made the tackle. Athletic skill set obviously and short memory at that position, that gives you a chance to be successful. He’s very cerebral. I love the kid, look forward to seeing the trajectory of his career moving forward.”

▪ Even though skilled pass rusher Channing Tindall hasn’t played at all this season as the team’s fifth inside linebacker, Weaver made clear that the Dolphins don’t believe he’s big enough to be used at outside linebacker, where there’s a need now amid Jaelan Phillips’ season-ending knee injury.

“With how we view outside backer, it’s a more physical attribute why that didn’t work,” Weaver said. “He relies on speed. We need guys that set the edge. He’s [236] pounds. That would be asking a lot of that kid.”

Phillips’ injury leaves the Dolphins with four edge players: Emmanuel Ogbah, Quinton Bell and rookies Chop Robinson and Mo Kamara.

Outside linebackers coach Ryan Crow said Phillips’ knee injury does not make the Dolphins try to get Bradley Chubb and Cameron Goode back on the field more quickly. Both players remain on the PUP list as they recover from serious knee injuries; neither is yet ready to practice.