MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A calm presence filled day two of the Dolphins' mandatory minicamp.
As the players prepared for the day's practice, the absence of newly acquired wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was discussed. Head Coach Mike McDaniel addressed this, clarifying the situation.
"You guys are going to have to wait. That's just due to the individual process when new guys come to the team," he said.
Significant changes marked the Dolphins' offseason, but none were as impactful as Xavien Howard's departure, particularly for the defense. His former backfield mate, Jalen Ramsey, deeply respected Howard, and his replacement.
"X is always going to be my dude. I wish he could still be part of the team, but business is business; I understand it. He's arguably the best corner in Dolphin’s history. Me and Kendall go way back to high school; that's my guy, too. It'll be fun teaming up with him," Ramsey said.
"Xavien Howard was here for eight years and played tremendous football. I've always been a fan of him. All of us came out in the same year, but my thing is going out there and playing football. Doing what I can do out there to help us win games,” said Dolphins cornerback Kendall Fuller.
The ongoing camp topic has been the contract negotiations between Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, which have been going on for months. However, one of Tagovailoa's protectors on the offensive line discussed possibly hanging up the cleats after the season.
"I sat with some family and made some decisions, but ultimately, this is where I belong. This is where I'm supposed to be. I love where we are as a team, and I love our opportunity we have in front of us,” offensive tackle Terron Armstead said.
The Dolphins canceled Thursday's minicamp practice.