Dolphins Stock Report (Practice 5): David Long working his way back into Miami’s defense

David Long’s toughness on the football field has never been questioned.

The Miami Dolphins’ starting inside linebacker is a see-ball, get-ball kind of player, which explains why he led the Dolphins with 113 tackles last season.

But what has been questioned is his ability to stay healthy, his durability, and Long has gotten off to a slow start early in camp because of a left knee issue that got him shelved for the first week of training camp.

Long was taken off the Physically Unable to Perform list on Sunday, and got a handful of 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 snaps then. On Monday, the first day of padded practices, his snaps in team drills doubled, which means he’s seemingly getting closer to working without limitations.

But it’s clear that the Dolphins are being overly cautious with the former West Virginia standout, who is competing with Jordyn Brooks to be the green dot linebacker, the player who wears the communication helmet that connects him to Miami’s defensive coaches.

And to earn this new coaching staff’s trust he needs to be on the field, showcasing what he can do.

“We have a long season ahead. They know the way I play, [which] is very aggressive on my body so they are timing it up,” Long said, referring to Miami’s trainers, which have taken an ultra cautious approach to how the team handles players coming back from injuries, or nursing a soft tissue issue. “I’m eager to get out there.”

TOP PERFORMER

Stock Up

While most of Miami’s 30-years-old are on a maintenance program - either taking snaps off or sitting out entire days - Jalen Ramsey, who turns 30 in October, has worked every single day with no limitations. On Monday, Ramsey pulled down his first interception of camp on a pass from Skylar Thompson that inside linebacker Ezekiel Vandenburgh tipped into the air on a deflection.

With Cam Smith sidelined by an undisclosed injury he suffered on Sunday, and Kendall Fuller getting a veteran rest day on Monday, a couple of cornerbacks who are long shots to make it onto the 53-man roster had a chance to showcase themselves. Cornerback Jason Maitre, the undrafted rookie from University of Wisconsin rookie, intercepted Mike White on a poor throw.

Stock Down

Aaron Brewer and Jack Driscoll, who handled some of the snaps on Monday, each had at least two bobbled quarterback-to-center exchanges. While it’s impossible to say who was at fault for the snafu - the center or quarterback - those are the types of plays that suffocate offensive drives, therefore the Dolphins need to clean it up.

The Dolphins tight end room might be one of the most talented units on the team, so if Jody Fortson Jr. continues to drop passes like the beautiful 20-yarder Thompson put in his hands, which he dropped during the first 11-on-11 period, he won’t be making this team. Fortson, who spent his first five seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, hasn’t even come close to producing as much as Tanner Conner, who Miami has developed for the past two seasons.

TAKEAWAY FROM THE DAY

Pads were indeed the equalizer for the offensive line, which had their best showing of camp on Monday, the first day the team put pads on. There were far fewer pressures coming from the interior, which means the offensive guards and centers weren’t being overpowered by the defensive front. Again, there wasn’t a heavy blitzing presence presented from defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s playcall. But overall, the offensive linemen weren’t heavily chewed out by offensive line coach Butch Barry today, which is a starting point. While Monday’s performance still wasn’t put to Barry’s standards, it provided evidence that there’s something present worth working with. Now all Barry has to do is find a pair of starting offensive guards.

WHAT THEY SAID

“We have a lot of OGs that have done a lot of great stuff in the league. We have Super Bowl champions. They bring that championship mindset to the team,” receiver Jaylen Waddle said, pointing out Dolphins have a strong locker room.

To address Waddle’s claims, the count on players who won a Super Bowl during their career is seven, and features Tyreek Hill, Jalen Ramsey, Odell Beckham Jr., Kendall Fuller, Emmanuel Ogbah, Jody Fortson and Isaiah Wynn. Hill, Fuller, Ogbah and Fortson won with the Chiefs. Beckham won one with the Rams and Wynn won a championship in his rookie season with the Patriots, a season where he didn’t play cause of an injury.