Top 3 Dolphins training camp performers – Day 2

Day two of training camp is in the books, and the Miami Dolphins are getting ready for things to get real. While the pads still haven’t come on, minimizing the amount of hitting that can be done, there are still takeaways to take under consideration.

The top three performers of day two, strangely enough, are going to look oddly similar to the top performers of day one. But when players stand out, they stand out.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB

The first player to stand out is the first player who stood out on day one. Redundant, perhaps, but unavoidable. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was on point for the second straight day of camp. He was decisive, he was accurate, and he looked a lot more like “Fitzmagic” than the player he was known as before earning that nickname.

If this sort of performance continues, it’s hard to imagine young Josh Rosen will ever keep up. Fitzpatrick is gunning for the starting job, and he’s not slowing down to let Rosen get a chance to take it from him. This puts head coach Brian Flores in an interesting position. The common sense solution would be to let Rosen start in order to get full evaluation of his skills. But Flores keeps saying that the best player will play. Letting Rosen start when he’s not the best forces Flores to go back on his word. Players struggle to respect coaches who don’t keep their word.

It’s still early, there’s still time for Rosen this training camp. But with Fitzpatrick earning top honors two days in a row, it’s hard to imagine Rosen getting to start under those circumstances.

DeVante Parker, WR

More of the same from day one of training camp. In the battle between Brice Butler, Preston Williams, and of course Parker…Parker is the best player of the three. Shocking, considering Parker’s checkered past on the football field. Then again, it may not be so shocking.

Parker is well known for making big plays when hitting isn’t involved. He did so again on Friday, making plays and tough catches that Miami always wanted him to make but he never did when it counted. This is the source of the frustration with him. He looks great in practice. He matches up fairly well against Xavien Howard of all players, everything he’s done so far indicates he can take the next step.

And yet…this is not the first time that assumption has been made. If Parker can continue his dominance when the pads come on, then maybe it’s safe to get hopes up. However, we can still credit him for stringing along two excellent practices.

Preston Williams, WR

Time to give one of the dark horses a little bit of love. After a somewhat disappointing first day, Preston Williams showed improvement and was able to make some impressive catches. While Parker still has the upper hand on him, it’s encouraging to see that he’s not going down without a fight.

His real chance to show what he can do comes on Saturday, when the pads come on for the first time and players start hitting each other. Parker tends to shy away when that happens, as noted previously. If Williams doesn’t, that will be telling. That will give him something he can hold over Parker, and it might be the difference between making the team and landing on the practice squad (if someone else doesn’t swipe him first).