Dolphins

• Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith‘s absence at mandatory minicamp was excused despite HC Mike McDaniel not saying it was. 
• Schefter thinks Miami “has given him permission [to seek a trade] and excused him from attending, so it can go ahead and look for a trade partner.” (Jackson)
• Additionally, Schefter has reported the Dolphins have been looking to trade Smith instead of giving him a new deal, despite McDaniel’s desire to retain him. Jackson points out, though, that when McDaniel wants to keep a player, the team usually does so. 
• McDaniel thinks LB Jaelan Phillips should be ready to return from his torn ACL to start the season: “I expected Jaelan Phillips to be in great shape and condition and continue to be the pro he is.” (Jackson)
• He also mentioned G James Daniels should be back from his Achilles injury for the opener. 
• McDaniel said Daniels understands “how much we’re counting on him and has done an absolutely fantastic job of phase 1 and phase 2. He couldn’t just go through the motions of going through offseason tape and meetings. He had a great day on the field [Tuesday] working on individual and I can see what he’s done on the field the past month” during a period when coaches were only in contact with him during meeting rooms.” (Jackson)
• Per McDaniel, he’s expected to start at one of the guard spots alongside second-round G Jonah Savaiinaea. 

Jets

• Jets HC Aaron Glenn said DE Jermaine Johnson will be close to ready at the start of training camp, but he will be ready for the season. Glenn expects Johnson to start camp on the PUP list. (Zack Rosenblatt)
• Jets RB Breece Hall said a huge difference with OC Tanner Engstrand is his willingness to run the football. Hall said Engstrand knows he can also be effective in the passing game too: “I know Tanner likes to run the ball.” (Rosenblatt)
• Jets DC Steve Wilks when asked about the next step for CB Sauce Gardner: “Consistent. He’s been a Pro Bowl player, how consistent can he be to take it to another level?” (Rosenblatt)
• Jets CB Michael Carter II is completely healthy now after a back injury, but it took him until February to get to 100 percent. (Rosenblatt)

Patriots

Patriots WRs coach Todd Downing expressed a lot of optimism in third-round WR Kyle Williams and said the rookie is working hard on his development. 

“If you had asked me, I would’ve had to hide my enthusiasm. I’m a big fan of Kyle,” Downing said, via Mark Daniels of MassLive. “It’s been great to have him here. He’s working his tail off. Like any rookie, there’s going to be some ups and downs along the road, but he’s working his tail off and he’s been great to have around.”

Downing said they had a strong first impression of Williams during his top 30 visit. 

“I really enjoyed his top 30 visit. That’s where we built a connection and I kind of found out how he learns and how he processes new information,” Downing said. “We spent some time in the meeting room and got to eat a meal together and really kind of got to break down more than just a quick Zoom with a draft prospect. He’s one of those guys that has an infectious energy to him. Obviously, on the tape there’s plenty to like – physical attributes and things that I think will benefit him in this system. Just a great kid to add to the room.”

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