MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) 鈥� Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put his contract situation aside and participated in 7-on-7 drills Wednesday as Miami began training camp workouts.
The fifth-year QB is seeking a new, lucrative deal to place him on the same category as fellow quarterbacks who were selected alongside him in the 2020 draft. On Tuesday, several of Tagovailoa鈥檚 teammates anticipated he would join them in pads.
Tagovailoa did not speak with reporters Wednesday.
鈥淎ll those things are a distraction if you allow them to be,鈥� Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. 鈥淢yself, I have an open conversation about that stuff to the team. We鈥檙e all not robots. You have to consciously make sure that you worry about the right stuff and I think our team is. Our team is really excited about practicing against each other.鈥�
While Tagovailoa's contract will remain a storyline until it's resolved, the Dolphins began the third year of McDaniel鈥檚 tenure with anticipation of finally breaking a 24-year drought of playoff wins.
Miami was on track for an AFC East title before losing three of its last five games, including a home defeat to Buffalo that gave the Bills the division title and dropped the Dolphins to a wild-card spot. Miami鈥檚 season鈥檚 season ended with a first-round loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City .
Former Bills safety Jordan Poyer, who signed as a free agent with Miami in the offseason, said Tuesday there was a perception by opponents that the Dolphins 鈥渨ould fold鈥� if they fell behind against top teams.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 really do anything for me or move me in a type of way,鈥� defensive back Jalen Ramsey said of those comments. 鈥淟ast year鈥檚 team is different from this year鈥檚 team in a lot of different ways, including having (Poyer) on the team now. This is day one. We have to build our identity.鈥�
The differences from last season include the hiring of Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator. Weaver, who was a defensive assistant with the Baltimore Ravens the past three seasons, will utilize schemes deployed by his former club.
Signing 17-year defensive lineman Calais Campbell provides an additional link to the Ravens鈥� system. Campbell spent three seasons with Baltimore from 2020-22.
鈥淭his is a very interesting defense,鈥� Campbell said. 鈥淚t is understanding the terminology and the different things, you can do. I think they did a really good job in the spring of getting the guys prepared, especially in the development of what we want to do.鈥�
Another notable offseason addition didn鈥檛 participate in workouts Wednesday, when veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was placed on the physically unable to perform list.
Beckham, a two-time second team All-Pro while with the New York Giants in 2015 and 鈥�16, is expected to serve as a slot option to complement outside threats Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for him, coming to this team and this offense that he鈥檚 able to focus on the timing and execution of how he plays the position,鈥� McDaniel said. 鈥淚f he鈥檚 compromised in any regards to do that, then the challenge becomes cerebral.鈥�
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