But McDaniel, who spoke Thursday morning before the joint practice against Washington, said the team will decide Thursday afternoon which starters will play and how much they’ll play.

McDaniel said “guys who are starters,” without naming names, “will get some action” in the game and “we’ll take it from there.”

In other words, the Dolphins don’t have an established plan for playing time for anybody, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Among the top starters whose playing time will be watched, aside from Tagovailoa, are left tackle Terron Armstead, edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, defensive lineman Calais Campbell, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, running back Raheem Mostert and rookie edge rusher Chop Robinson.

Phillips was recently activated from the physically unable to perform list due to an Achilles injury and Armstead, Campbell, Hill and Phillips have had their practice participation measured, and Robinson, the first-round pick, was held out of last week’s game while battling a minor injury.

Robinson, one of the stars of training camp, participated in Wednesday’s practice and performed well.

No setback for Chubb

McDaniel said there’s been no setback for edge rusher Bradley Chubb, who is recovering from a season-ending knee injury sustained in December.

Chubb, who had a team-best 11.0 sacks last season, hasn’t yet participated in training camp practices.

However, McDaniel said Chubb has been progressing well.

There’s no timetable for Chubb’s return. Chubb was seen doing rehabilitation work before practice Thursday.

Thursday’s practice plan

 McDaniel said the practice plan for Thursday’s joint practice against Washington, for the most part, calls for matching starters vs. starters and primary backups vs. primary backups.

That means Robinson might go against starters for an extended period for the first time.

The backup QB battle

McDaniel said he splits playing time between backup quarterbacks Mike White and Skylar Thompson based on a few factors instead of simply alternating days that each works with the second team.

The backup quarterback race between White, last year’s backup, and Thompson, last year’s No. 3, has been watched closely during training camp. McDaniel said the battle is “neck and neck.”

Anecdotally, Thompson has probably had more snaps with the second team during recent practices. Thompson also started last week’s preseason opener against Atlanta.

McDaniel said the process of sorting out who wins the No. 2 job remains the same.

“We allow the players to tell us who two and three are, just like the rest of our players,” he said.

McDaniel said it’ll become apparent who deserves the No. 2 job by their performance.

McDaniel said there are a lot of complicating variables to deciding who gets the No. 2 job, such as whether each quarterback gets to play with top personnel and how players respond to each quarterback. 

White mentioned that after the Atlanta game, saying his goal was keeping everybody calm in the huddle because some guys were rookies who were playing for the first time, and others might be veterans who were stressing whether they’ll make the 53-man roster.

So although the starters are scheduled to play Saturday against Washington, one thing to look for when White and Thompson are on the field is who they’re surrounded by, and how those guys respond to that quarterback.

A: It’s interesting, because it so often comes back to that in this space, regarding the Heat lacking a true, innate point guard. You could make that case with Terry Rozier, but in recent years he has played as more of a combo guard. Ditto with Tyler Herro. And, from there, you’re either looking at Dru Smith on his two-way deal (if he even keeps that deal), Josh Richardson more on the ball (if he even is in the rotation), or undrafted rookie camp hopefuls such as Isaiah Stevens or Zyon Pullin, neither of whom seem ready. Yes, we can talk ad nauseam about how Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. all can handle. And I don’t disagree. But an innate point guard better tends to get the ball on time, on target, as Kyle Lowry did during the best of his times with the Heat. I’m not saying that bringing back Patty Mills or Delon Wright would have been an answer. But it still appears as if a void remains.

Q: Patty Mills was a Heat killer on and of the team. – Chark.

A: Well put, which means there will  be a chance he puts up a 30-burger on the Heat this season when they face the Jazz – just because. I will say that Patty Mills was a pleasure to have around and you cannot but help admire all he has done over the years with the Australian national team. His Heat tenure only was a cameo, but he left an impression.

Q: I think the in-season tournament is stupid, in my opinion. – Pipsy.

A: And you are not alone, especially if it would require a team such as the Heat to fly cross-country for four nights in Las Vegas in the middle of the schedule, while also having to make another pair of western swings during the season. So forget the courts, forget the NBA Cup, and just consider the four pool-play games for what they are, regular-season games that impact the standings. But it is incredible how the NBA hype machine can take over at times.

Jones, like Metcalf, is from Mississippi. Both have developed reputations for their physical playing styles and similar attributes.

Jones is 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds. Metcalf is 6-4 and 235.

“I’m very physical,” said Jones. “I’m a big guy who likes to establish his presence. I feel like I’m raising the standard by being physical and bringing a new presence into the receiver room.”

Jones’ journey to UCF from Ohio University wasn’t as straight as the drive from Athens to Orlando on Interstate 75. There were plenty of challenges during his football career.

He spent three seasons at Northwest Mississippi Community College, appearing in 29 games (63 receptions, 929 yards, 5 TDs). Jones signed with Ohio in 2022, finishing second on the team in receiving yards (777) and touchdowns (6).

The following season, he started strong with 8 catches for 147 yards through the first three games but broke his right leg on Sept. 23 during the Bobcats’ 38-7 road win against Bowling Green. After the season, Jones entered the transfer portal on April 15 before committing to UCF two weeks later.

“I always figured that I could play at a higher level,” he said. “UCF is transitioning into the Big 12 and, coming in, I want to make an impact. I feel like God brought me here.”

It took Jones three months to return to the field, and it wasn’t until spring that he could start running routes.

“Physically, it took a while, and mentally, the biggest thing was trusting myself to be able to put my foot on the ground and go against other people and other competition,” said Jones.

He credits receivers coach Tim Harris Jr., who also is the Knights’ offensive coordinator, for helping him get over “the mental hump.”

UCF players, staff issue thumbs-up to electronic tablets on sidelines

“Coach Harris has been pushing me, and that’s what I wanted,” said Jones. “I wanted to be somewhere where I’d be strained. I would be pushed to be the best player I could be.”

Harris saw that potential while he was recruiting Jones in the transfer portal.

“He was under the radar in the transfer portal, but if you go back and watch that tape, you see the physical evidence of what he did that season,” Harris said. “He’s done an excellent job every day of being coachable. I’m very pleased with him and happy for the early success that he’s having, but continuing to push him because he still has some things to clean up in this game.”

Before his injury, Jones was the top-graded receiver in the Mid-American Conference in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus. The wideout caught 73% of the passes thrown his way (44 of 60) and was fourth in yards after catch (347).

UCF athletes receive hand up to enter workforce and succeed

He’s also worked hard on other aspects of his game, such as blocking.

“We have a great running back room with RJ Harvey, Peny Boone, Myles Montgomery and Johnny Richardson, so those guys can break loose at any moment,” Jones said. “To make a difference on our guy, we can help turn a 15-yard run into an 80-yard touchdown.”

Jones had two touchdowns in the Knights’ first scrimmage Aug. 4, earning praise from teammates.

“The first thing I ever saw him do was run a stop route and he killed the guy,” said tight end Randy Pittman, “how he moves and sells his route with such a big frame. He’s been explosive in the scrimmage.”

Said fifth-year quarterback KJ Jefferson: “He’s coming along well, grasping and learning the offense.”

UCF fans better start appreciating Gus Malzahn — or else | Commentary

The fifth-year senior is among several receivers to join this offseason, along with Auburn transfer Ja’Varrius Johnson and freshmen Bredell Richardson, Kason Stokes and Jordyn Bridgewater.

While the group is talented and led by veterans Kobe Hudson, Xavier Townsend, Chauncey Magwood, Trent Whittemore and Jarrad Baker, Jones believes he has more to offer.

“I feel like I’m a jack-of-all-trades. I’m very big and many guys think I’m just a blocker, but I can utilize my size,” he said. “I’m very quick and shifty, too.”

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber quieted the boo birds with his seventh career grand slam, shaking the Philadelphia Phillies out of their mid-summer malaise and leading them to a 9-5 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night.

Trying to fight their way out of a rut, the Phillies got a needed win, a night after they suffered a four-hit shutout loss to one of the worst teams in baseball. Once the winningest team in baseball, the Phillies needed Schwarber’s go-ahead slam to help snap a four-game losing streak and they won for just the eighth time in 24 games since the All-Star break.

Hours after manager Rob Thomson hinted that a team meeting could be on deck, the Phillies delayed the opening of the clubhouse to reporters by 70 minutes ahead of the game. Thomson demurred when asked about the meeting, saying only “what happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.”

The lineup, though, is very much public and Thomson rattled his high-priced crew of slumping sluggers when he benched All-Star shortstop Trea Turner. Turner, in the second season of a $300 million, 11-year contract, was batting just .168 with 20 strikeouts since the break and had just three hits over his last five games.

“It’s more time in the cage to hone his swing, get him off his feet and just let him breathe for a minute,” Thomson said.

Tyler Phillips, the South Jersey native who grew up rooting for the Phillies before he took the mound for them, gave up a three-run homer to Jonah Bride in the first inning that seemed to set an early tone for another crushing defeat.

The Phillies cut it to 3-2 against Edward Cabrera (2-4) until Jesús Sánchez added a run-scoring single and Bride had a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the three-run cushion.

After two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth, Schwarber knocked one the other way on a changeup, hitting his 28th homer of the season to left-center for the 6-5 lead.

Phillies fans that had unleashed their pent-up boos over the last two games after the last two wildly successful seasons roared again for the go-ahead shot.

Cabrera gave up six runs in four innings and even tossed a cooler in the dugout after allowing the grand slam.

“I attacked him with my best pitch, and I wouldn’t change anything,” Cabrera said.

José Ruiz (3-1) recorded the last two outs of the fifth to earn the win.

Alec Bohm added an RBI single and J.T. Realmuto busted the game open with two-run double in the seventh for a 9-5 lead.

Since the All-Star break, the Phillies lost two of three to Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Cleveland and Seattle, were swept in a three-game set by the Yankees and are coming off a 4-6 road trip against the Dodgers and Arizona.

NEXT UP

The Marlins head to New York for a four-game set with the Mets.

Coach Billy Napier planned to elevate the competition among his players during Week 3 as UF prepared for its second scrimmage Saturday in the Swamp. The Gators will be off Thursday and return to the field Friday.

UF provided a 12-minute window for reporters to observe individual drills.

Top takeaway: While his teammates practiced, senior tailback Montrell Johnson Jr. ran on the treadmill as he pushes to return from a minor right knee injury.

Johnson wore his black non-contact No. 1 jersey and full equipment, toting a football as he ran at a good clip.

The 5-foot-11 ¼, 216-pound Louisiana native led UF in rushing yards the past two seasons. Johnson’s absence has allowed a deep yet inexperienced stable of running backs make their case for touches.

“It’s almost a blessing in disguise to some degree that they’re getting meaningful reps,” Napier said Aug. 7.

Johnson’s availability is yet to be determined for the Gators’ Aug. 31 season opener against Miami in the Swamp.

Step forward: No running back has emerged more than Jakobi Jackson, a redshirt junior from Pensacola who transferred in 2023 from Coahoma Junior College in Mississippi.

Jackson was a spring transfer portal signing who was fifth on the depth chart until Tulane transfer Cam Carroll suffered a season-ending knee injury. The 5-foot-10 ½, 209-pound Jackson, who compiled 1,390 yards on 276 carries for 14 touchdowns in 20 games in junior college, is pushing for touches in a crowded running back room.

Meanwhile, Carroll practiced hard Wednesday, making hard cuts and participating fully. Some believed he might not be able to play again after his second serious injury. A sixth-year player, the 6-foot, 230-pound Carroll’s 2022 season ended in the first game of Tulane’s magical 12-win campaign.

Step back: Sophomore Treyaun Webb enters camp as Johnson’s backup but has faced stiff competition from Jackson and true freshmen Jadan Baugh and KD Daniels.

On Wednesday, Webb left practice and did not return during the open window.

Trainer’s room: Offensive lineman Bryce Lovett and safety Bryce Thornton wore non-contact jerseys.

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Long before he built the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup championship roster, Bill Zito was a teenager working as a Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse attendant during the franchise’s lone pennant-winning season.

The Panthers’ general manager and president of hockey operations returned to his roots and allowed the Brewers to get a glimpse at one of the most prestigious prizes in professional sports. As the Brewers arrived at American Family Field before Wednesday night’s game with the Los Angeles Dodgers, they found the Stanley Cup sitting on a table in their clubhouse.

“In the hockey world, that’s sort of a gesture of appreciation and respect and thanks,” Zito said. “I wanted to do that.”

Zito brought the Cup to the city where he grew up to show his appreciation for the years he worked with the Brewers back in the 1980s. He was a toddler when his family moved from Pennsylvania to the Milwaukee area. He stayed in Milwaukee through high school.

He also spent three summers as a clubhouse attendant with the Brewers. That included the 1982 season in which the Brewers made their only World Series appearance, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

“I was in the visiting locker room the first year and two years in the Brewers locker room,” Zito recalled.

Zito took over as the Panthers’ general manager in September 2020 and added the title of president of hockey operations in April. The Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history this year, beating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

The Brewers loved having Zito back and getting a look at the Cup.

Zito posed for pictures holding the Cup while flanked by longtime Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker and clubhouse manager Tony Migliaccio. During his stint as a Brewers clubhouse attendant, Zito had worked with Migliaccio.

Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick was particularly appreciative. Frelick, who grew up in Massachusetts, said he started playing hockey at the age of 6 and continued all the way through high school.

Although Frelick had said he’d seen the Stanley Cup before from afar, this was the first time he was able to get this close to it.

“It’s so cool,” Frelick said. “It’s even cooler that Mr. Zito brought it. He was once here as a bat boy. Now he’s obviously the GM over there in Florida, and you’ve seen what he’s done with their team.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Hours spent on the field, in the training room, watching film or taking time to rest and recover blend together during fall camp. Through it all, Mertz knows exactly how many days until an Aug. 31 visit from Miami.

At 6:37 a.m. Monday in Kansas City, Justin Hoover’s screen read, “19.”

The next day at 7 a.m., Mertz’s longtime quarterbacks coach replied, “18.”

“We’ve got a couple little things going that lets us know what’s next, trying to keep the main thing, the main thing, and stay connected to and grounded to the day and maximizing it,” Hoover told the Orlando Sentinel. “We just stay on top of that and push him a little bit to stay in the moment and focus on that one thing: what you got today.”

The countdown has begun to the Gators’ opener, Mertz’s final college season and his last chance to put it all together.

While Mertz exceeded expectations after transferring from Wisconsin, his season ended with a broken collarbone Nov. 19 at Missouri and a 5-7 finish by the Gators a week later against Florida State.

Mertz, who turns 24 in December, put his NFL dreams on hold.

“I came back to win,” he said Tuesday evening. “That’s why I’m here right now. That’s why I’m standing up here. That’s why I was just on the practice field for two hours in some serious heat — because I want to win.

“That’s why we’re all here right now.”

Mertz pushes to set the tone.

“His leadership has taken tremendous strides,” redshirt sophomore tight end Arlis Boardingham said. “Just making sure we’re going all the time, all the time. Even today at practice, it’s getting hot — very hot — and he’s talking, ‘It’s about us. It’s about us.’

“Just letting us know as we’re getting closer to the end of practice, we’ve got to be the ones to finish.”

Hoover also notices a different Mertz.

The two have worked together since Mertz was a seventh-grader from Overland Park, Kan., a dozen miles southwest of Kansas City, site of Hoover’s Spin It Quarterback Academy.

Daily text exchanges, FaceTiming from Florida’s football facility and more than 20 days of training this offseason back home have revealed a 23-year-old on a mission and, Hoover believes, in the right place at the right time.

“Through the ups and downs and the things that he’s dealt with, his approach has gotten even more dialed in and more detailed,” he said. “His passion for that school and that coaching staff and that locker room full of teammates has just continued to grow based off what I believe is his investment in them.”

UF coach Billy Napier went all in on Mertz, too.

Mertz’s inconsistency at Wisconsin, where he threw 38 touchdowns and 26 interceptions during three seasons, did not dissuade Napier as he sought a replacement for first-round draft pick Anthony Richardson.

Mertz responded with an SEC-leading 72.9% completion rate and a 20-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio while displaying the intangibles UF’s coach covets.

“He’s just got great energy about himself and affects other people in a positive way,” Napier said. “Extremely detailed. Great note-taker. Great in the position meetings.

“He’s a pro.”

Mertz enjoys the spoils of playing quarterback at Florida in the age of NIL.

A player’s NIL compensation is not public, but arguably the nicest car in the parking lot outside the Heavener Football Complex belongs to Mertz — a new Mercedes-Benz coupe through his partnership with the Gainesville dealership.

“I said, ‘Hey, you get a deal on those things, or is this just the one they give you?’” Hoover, 43, joked.

Mertz aims to earn his keep against a taxing schedule featuring eight teams ranked in the Associated Press preseason Top 25.

He will lead an offense with plenty of potential, beginning with sophomore rising star Eugene Wilson III, but also without 2023 leading receiver Ricky Pearsall — an NFL first-round draft pick. Top rusher Montrell Johnson Jr.’s minor knee injury leaves UF to rely on an inexperienced backfield as the Gators prepare for Miami. The offensive line returns just two starters and remains a work in progress, featuring a collection of inexperienced underclassmen and transfers.

Napier left last Saturday’s scrimmage encouraged by his offense’s explosiveness but wants to see more this weekend during the Gators’ final tune-up before Week 1.

“We were a little short of our goal,” he said Monday. “That’s an area where we’re trying to put an emphasis this week.”

Tight end Hayden Hansen said Napier told the team Tuesday that 75% of games are won by the team with more explosive plays. The redshirt sophomore also said not every team has a quarterback like Mertz.

“It helps a lot, Mertz coming back — a great game manager, got a lot of trust,” Hansen said. “That’s really the key word to this whole thing: trust. We all trust each other, trust the communication.

“It overall speeds up the process.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com

Smith, a second-round pick and the Dolphins’ top draft choice in 2023, barely played as a rookie, seeing just 20 snaps from srimmage.

Then, to compound that, he suffered an undisclosed injury early in training camp this year, which naturally sets him back on progress toward contributing heading into Year 2.

But the skilled cornerback has returned to practice and seen increases in participation in team drills again as the Dolphins get set for a joint practice with the Washington Commanders on Thursday, Saturday night’s preseason game against them at home and then next week that involves another joint session and preseason exhibition against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This is where Smith can set himself up for a successful second NFL season.

“Right now, they’re very vital,” Smith said after Wednesday’s intrasquad training camp practice of the coming preseason games. “Just making sure that all of the nooks and crannies work themselves out. This is where you work out everything, see where your mistakes (are), see what you lack and all of that stuff.”

Smith was in former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s doghouse last regular season. He appeared to be standing out early in camp with impressive coverage and pass breakups that highlighted his physical tools, closing speed and ball skills, but Fangio didn’t seem to like where Smith stood mentally as a rookie. Then came a long touchdown he allowed in the preseason finale in Jacksonville, leading to his lack of playing time all regular season.

Part of the issue for Smith was that the Dolphins essentially had a set top three cornerbacks of Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard and Kader Kohou, which this year would be Kendall Fuller instead of Howard. But even when Ramsey or Howard missed time, it was Eli Apple ahead of Smith; or Nik Needham coming off his Achilles recovery or Justin Bethel or even the likes of Parry Nickerson, Kelvin Joseph or undrafted rookie Ethan Bonner, like in the playoff loss to Kansas City.

Ramsey, Fuller, Kohou, Needham, Bonner and free agent special teams ace Siran Neal all factor in at cornerback. Smith will also look to hold off undrafted rookies in Storm Duck, Jason Maitre and Isaiah Johnson.

There’s a belief that the defense of new coordinator Anthony Weaver could bode well for Smith.

“Really kind of just instilled confidence that he knows I’m a baller,” Smith said, portraying a coaching style that differs from the old-school ways of Fangio. “(I’m) just making sure that every day he knows that I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do, bring the energy.”

But there are still valuable things he can take from the year under Fangio, which saw a lot more zone coverages and off-man techniques.

“From last year to this year, I feel like my off technique (has improved),” Smith said. “Just kind of playing Fangio’s defense last year had a lot more off. So I kind of got to read progressions, learning to change my eyes, stuff like that.”

That said, he likes how Weaver will likely have him play more press coverage.

As Smith is back at practice from missing time, Bonner has now been out since last Friday’s preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.

“I feel good,” Smith said. “I feel like the preparation of the weight room staff and the training staff got me right. I came out there. I really didn’t lose a step, wasn’t really tired or anything like that.”

That said, Smith added it’s “definitely” valuable time lost that he spent away since early in camp.

“You miss one day, you’re going to miss something,” he said.

Between the joint practice and preseason game against Washington, Smith could end up on wide receivers like Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson or Dyami Brown, a North Carolina alum whom Smith, a South Carolina product, is familiar with.

Smith, who said he’s not putting any pressure on himself, is approaching it and preparing for the opportunity by giving it the utmost importance.

“Make sure that you know what you’re coming into,” he said. “You’re not going to go in there blind. There’s no point to doing that when you have the film.”

Coach Mike McDaniel will almost certainly play some of the Dolphins starters, led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, he’ll almost certainly limit some other starters, such as perhaps running back Raheem Mostert, and one or two other starters might not play at all, led by left tackle Terron Armstead.

For these purposes, I’m not concerned about those guys.

Plus, we’ll get to see the vast majority of the Dolphins’ starters in extended action in Thursday’s joint practice vs. the Commanders.

Moving past the cemented starters, there are questions I’d like to see answered, or questions that I’d like to see move closer to an answer among those vying for a starting job or those that are top reserves.

The biggest question might be at edge rusher, where there are still questions about whether Miami will be able to generate a strong pass rush while starters Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) and Bradley Chubb (knee) race to get back to 100% healthy, something that might not happen at all this season.

But there are things I’d like to see at tight end, interior defensive line and backup cornerback, here are five things to watch: 

Smith as a top receiving TE target

Miami’s passing offense is led by, and almost completely consumed by, wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. I’d like to see tight ends involved on seam routes, short-yardage situations, third downs, red-zone and goal-line offense. 

Jonnu Smith is uniquely equipped for that job because he’s athletic, has good hands, good size and excels at getting yards after catch.

I’d like to see Smith evolve as the No. 1 receiving tight end with Durham Smythe, who established career bests in receptions (35) and yards (366) last season, still remaining the full-time starter.

Tagovailoa should be able to work seamlessly with Smith, who has been the No. 2 tight end target behind Smythe during training camp.

Robinson vs. starters

Edge rusher Chop Robinson, the rookie first-round pick, has been really good in training camp. But he’s mostly been facing second-team players. There’s a good chance Robinson starts against Washington, or at least faces starters such as Commanders right tackle Andrew Wylie.

Robinson, who could be a starter for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against Jacksonville or a top reserve, has been good against the run and pass. But it’s been mostly against reserves.

Robinson said his work against the run has drawn the most praise from coaches.

“Really just my hands and setting the edge,” he said.

Robinson said in college he used to be able to use his shoulder to set the edge. He said now he’s learning to use his speed to get off the ball quickly, and combine that with getting his hands inside the tight ends and offensive tackles to employ better technique.

Robinson, who said he’ll have lots of family members at the Washington game, said he’ll have a measured approach to his first NFL game.

“I’ll just try not to overthink it, play football and have fun,” he said

Chris Perkins: I suspect (and hope) the Dolphins are evolving in their red-zone offense play calls

Bell vs. starters

Edge rusher Quinton Bell, the third-year player who has spent time with Oakland, Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Philadelphia, got off to a great start in training camp. He was living in the backfield and setting the edge on runs. He was hot.

But he was cooled down by Atlanta last week in two joint practices and the preseason opener (Bell only played 15 snaps from scrimmage vs. Atlanta while playing 25 snaps on special teams).

The Dolphins’ pass rush has been really good in training camp. But it’s mostly been facing second-team players from the Dolphins and Falcons.

The real test for Bell, and the pass rush, is whether the success continues against starters.

Interior defensive line (aside from Sieler and Campbell)

The Dolphins know interior defensive linemen Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell are good. 

Interior defensive linemen such as Brandon Pili, Isaiah Mack, Jonathan Harris, Neville Gallimore, Leonard Payne and Da’Shawn Hand all have a better chance of making the 53-man regular-season roster since the Dolphins released veteran Teair Tart.

All seemed to have a fairly good showing in the exhibition game against Atlanta. Mack, Gallimore and Harris also stood out during joint practices against the Falcons.

The Dolphins were seventh in run defense last season (97.1 yards allowed per game). The interior defensive linemen were at the head of the line for that statistic.

Washington will feature center Tyler Biadasz, left guard Nick Allegretti, and right guard Sam Cosmi. The Commanders’ pass protection unit, by the way, gave up 65 sacks last season, tied for second most, so the Dolphins should have a good day in that respect.

Backup CBs (Bonner, Smith, Duck, Neal, Maitre, Johnson and Needham)

The Dolphins are OK at starting cornerbacks among Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller on the boundary and Kader Kohou in the slot/nickel. 

The problem comes with backups at all three positions. 

Among backup cornerbacks Ethan Bonner, Cam Smith, Storm Duck, Siran Neal, Jason Maitre and Isaiah Johnson, who have all performed about the same, no one has emerged to take command of a primary backup job.

Needham, who also plays safety, has been the primary backup at the slot.

As long as the starting cornerback trio of Ramsey, Fuller and Kohou stay healthy, the Dolphins are golden. If one gets injured, however, there could be problems.

Washington has Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin, wide receiver Jahan Dotson as well as rookie slot receiver Luke McCaffrey to test the Dolphins’ cornerbacks.

As a reminder, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has been adept at finding quality cornerbacks as starters and reserves in recent years. So the chances of one of those backups blossoming into something good is above average.

If you think the University of Florida’s Billy Napier and other college football coaches spend way too much money on bloated support staffs, you haven’t seen anything until you read about the outrageous spending habits of outgoing UF president Ben Sasse.

Sasse left UF a few weeks ago after just 17 months on the job, citing his wife’s epilepsy for his abrupt resignation. Thanks to some superb investigative journalism by UF student journalist Garrett Shanley in the school newspaper — The Independent Florida Alligator — it’s now coming out that Sasse, even though he’s a conservative Republican, was spending money like a drunken Democrat. Sasse, it seems, was lavishly forking out millions of dollars in UF money to hire his political pals and allies. According to the Alligator’s reporting, presidential spending tripled in Sasse’s first year on the job, from $5.6 million in former UF president Kent Fuchs’ last year to $17.3 million under Sasse.

“A majority of the spending surge was driven by lucrative contracts with big-name consulting firms and high-salaried remote positions for Sasse’s former U.S. Senate staff (when Sasse represented Nebraska) and Republican officials,” the Alligator reported. “Sasse raised his former Senate staffers’ salaries at UF by an average of 44% compared to their Capitol Hill pay.

“Sasse’s consulting contracts have been kept largely under wraps, leaving the public in the dark about what the contracted firms did to earn their fees. The university also declined to clarify specific duties carried out by Sasse’s ex-Senate staff, several of whom were salaried as presidential advisers. The university said Sasse’s budget expansion went through the ‘appropriate approval process’ but did not answer questions about how Sasse bankrolled his splurges, where the funds originated or who authorized the spending.”

Sasse’s former Senate chief of staff was hired as UF’s vice president for innovation and partnerships — a newly created position — paying him $396,000, which doubled his Senate staffer salary.

His former Senate communication director was hired as UF’s communication director at a salary of $432,000, replacing the previous communication director who was making $270,000.

And many of these high-priced employees worked remotely and didn’t even bother moving to Gainesville. Sasse’s office spent over $600,000 on travel, compared to the $28,000 in travel expenses by his predecessor.

It’s no wonder Sasse, in 17 months as the president of the state’s flagship university, never sat down for an interview, held a press conference or answered the media’s questions.

At least Napier and the football team raises the money it spends whereas Sasse was spending millions in taxpayer money to reward his cronies.

If you ask me, the student journalists who essentially work for free at the Alligator are much better at their jobs than Sasse and his obscenely bloated  multi-million-dollar staff.

As one clever sports fan so aptly posted on social media: “A Nebraskan hasn’t looted the University of Florida so thoroughly since Tommie Frazier in the ’96 Fiesta Bowl.” …

Short stuff: Austin Dillon wrecked two drivers — Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin — coming down the homestretch to win his first NASCAR race in nearly two years on Sunday. That gives me an idea. Hey, if the IOC really wants to make the Olympics entertaining,  I’m suggesting that track athletes be allowed to adopt NASCAR rules. Can you imagine the excitement in the final 300 yards of the 1,500 meters if the inferior second-place runner is allowed to purposely trip or grab the race leader?  As NASCAR fans like to say: If you ain’t cheatin’, then you ain’t tryin’! … Speaking of the Olympics, I’m glad Team USA won the gold medal in women’s soccer, but I have to admit I was sort of rooting for Brazilian soccer legend and Orlando Pride captain Marta to finally win the gold in her final international competition. … By the way, did you see where Brittney Griner stood on the medal stand with her hand over her heart and tears in her eyes as the Star-Spangled Banner played following Team USA’s gold-medal performance in women’s basketball? Clearly, Griner — who said the WNBA shouldn’t even play the national anthem before its games back in 2020 when social unrest was at the forefront during the “Black Lives Matter” protests — has figured out that living in the good ol’ USA is pretty damn good. I’m thinking that a stint in a Russian prison will do that to a person. …

Last word:  Chi Chi Rodriguez — the iconic Puerto Rican golfer and flamboyant, quotable showman — passed away a few days ago at the age of 88. Said Chi Chi  when asked once about his woes on the green: “I read the greens in Spanish, but I putt in English.”

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen