The Dolphins won’t be the only NFL team approaching rookie minicamp differently this year.
They won’t even be the only NFL team in Florida approaching it differently this year. The Jaguars are joining them in altering the process to cut back on drills and other on-field work while devoting more time to meetings at what they’re calling a “rookie orientation.”
Jaguars General Manager Dave Caldwell says that he’d thought about different ways to handle rookie minicamp in the past and that the torn ACL that first-round pick Dante Fowler suffered on the first day of camp last year made it a more pressing issue.
“It’s never really made a lot of common sense to me,’' Caldwell said, via the Associated Press. ''You always just crossed your fingers and hoped for the best. I think this gave us good reason to do it. Never did you think it would be something that would be season-ending, but even the little stuff. If a guy pulls a hamstring, then all of a sudden he spends the next six weeks rehabbing instead of getting better, stronger and in shape.’'
The Broncos lost third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman to a torn ACL last year and coach Gary Kubiak recently called full-speed practices at minicamp for players who haven’t been on the field in some time “probably not the smartest thing to do.” Another serious injury or two in this year’s camps may have the Dolphins and Jaguars at the forefront of a trend around the league as it comes to handling the first NFL exposure for their rookie class.
