Top 3 Miami Dolphins training camp performers – Day 6

Each day brings new revelations and new analysis to offer. On day six of Miami Dolphins training camp, some players who had been doing excellent for several practices suddenly struggled, while others who have been struggling had a resurgence. Here are the three players who stood out the most on day six of training camp.

Durham Smythe, TE

Veteran Dwayne Allen was officially taken off the PUP list on Wednesday. However, it was second-year player Durham Smythe that caught attention on day six of training camp. While he hasn’t lit up training camp with amazing plays that get the crowd cheering, he has been solid in pretty much all aspects. He did have one moment in particular where he stretched out and caught a pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. That was an impressive play.

As it stands, Smythe is still known as the “blocking” tight end. He hasn’t done as well as Nick O’Leary in training camp yet, but if he can continue to develop his receiving skills, he could find himself contributing a lot in 2019.

Josh Rosen, QB

No, your eyes do not deceive you. On Wednesday, the best quarterback on the practice field was indeed Josh Rosen. What did he do? He was accurate, mostly. What happened to Ryan Fitzpatrick who has made this list every time so far? He had a very, very bad day. Two interceptions for Fitzpatrick. One to Xavien Howard who got in front of a route intended for Preston Williams, the second simply had him throw it on a rollout right to safety T.J. McDonald.

Those two mistakes gave Rosen a serious edge on Wednesday. They also remind everyone why Fitzpatrick has bounced from team to team, whether as a backup or a starter. Feast or famine, boom or bust, whatever phrase you’d like to use, that’s Ryan Fitzpatrick. Rosen had his best practice all camp, and Fitzpatrick had his worst. If Rosen can just maintain his progress, he might still have a chance.

Now if only he could get a fair amount of reps, because it seems like he’s not getting as many as he should. The competition isn’t over yet.

Andrew Van Ginkel, LB

Here’s a name no one was expecting. Yes, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel caught eyes on Wednesday’s training camp, his burst off the line of scrimmage is remarkable, and with further development he could be a dangerous edge rusher. Given Miami’s need for pass rushers, that’s a good sign. He even managed to get a would-be sack on Josh Rosen during scrimmaging.

However, it’s his versatility that will see him get more or less playing time. Right now, Van Ginkel is almost exclusively an edge rusher. The Dolphins starters have been running with only two pure linebackers for some time now, preferring to go with a nickel set and allowing safeties T.J. McDonald and Reshad Jones to line up as LBs due to their size and speed.

Considering Van Ginkel’s draft position, the most that should be expected of him for now is situational pass rusher. He’s off to a good start if that’s what Miami has in mind for him.