Dolphins

Preseason depth charts often aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, as coaches go out of their way to stress this time of year. When a rookie is listed as a starter, like Dolphins third-round WR Caleb Douglas was despite the usual deference to veterans, it stands out. Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley explained why they’ve been so impressed with Douglas. 

“It’s been consistency over time. He’s been really consistent,” Hafley said, per David Furones of the Orlando Sun Sentinel. “He’s made some flash plays and then he’s made some plays where he needs to catch the ball, but he’s probably been one of our most consistent guys. He showed up every day. So that’s where he deserves to be at this point.”

“It’s a start,” Hafley added. “And I told the team the same exact thing because I want to be transparent with them. If anybody’s going to get worked up about where they are in the depth chart right now, come and talk to me because I could probably explain to you, and let’s worry about that three weeks from now.”

Jets

One of the success stories of Jets training camp has been TE Jelani Woods, who seems to have played his way off the bubble and onto the roster as the fourth tight end. It qualifies as a comeback for Woods after he didn’t play at all in 2023 and 2024 due to various injuries. He’s been soaking it in this summer. 

“It’s training camp. It seems hard, but just going through the past two, three years makes me appreciate waking up in the morning like, all right, I got another opportunity to just get better,” Woods said via the Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt. “You appreciate it way more. So, on days like today, when you’re just grinding — you gotta love it. I’ve got a whole different mindset now.”

Woods said after the injuries he went in depth with specialists and found out that his body was misaligned in a few areas. He tested like an absurd athlete at the Combine, running a 4.6-second 40 at nearly 6-7 and 260 pounds among other outstanding metrics. However, he was putting too much pressure on certain areas that were leading to injuries. 

“It was just learning my body because I’m kind of not normal,” Woods said. “I had to balance things out and learn my body — the whole body is a chain. So I saw the specialists to see where my weaknesses are, how it’s related to where my strengths are and to try to get it to balance out.”

Current Jets OC Frank Reich was a big advocate for Woods when the Colts took him in the third round. The opportunity to reunite with Reich with the Jets sealed the deal for Woods to return this offseason. 

“I was like, I’m there,” Woods said. “Ain’t no ifs, ands or buts about it. I didn’t even need to think about it.”

Patriots

Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez is famously soft-spoken, especially considering the braggadocious tendencies of most of his colleagues at his position. It might have actually been one of the reasons he slipped halfway through the first round back in 2023. So it’s been stark to see the difference so far in training camp. Gonzalez is trash-talking new WR A.J. Brown in the daily battles between the two and has had other moments where he’s cut loose far more than normal. 

“Everybody thinks I don’t talk at all. I talk a little, but I’m kind of quiet. It really depends on the day at practice,” he said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I like to figure out how to attack a receiver. Not every receiver you can talk to; some receivers get more mad if you don’t say anything to them. You’re trying to figure out how you can get an edge on them.”

There are multiple potential explanations. Gonzalez was a team captain last year and is gunning for that role again, which typically requires players to do more than just lead by example. He’s in the midst of negotiations for a new contract. He also added that the addition of Brown has been a challenge for him to raise his game in practice. 

“He’s going a little bit more, I’ll say,” Brown said. “With everyone else, he’s real calm and relaxed; it’s more fluid.”