The Miami Dolphins are deep into the preseason and are only 24 days away until their season opener. In the offseason, the Dolphins acquired QB Malik Willis for a fresh face under center.
Today’s joint practice with the New York Giants however, proved that Willis and the Dolphins offense have a lot to work on ahead of September 13. The Giants defense rolled over the Dolphins O-Line, causing a fight to breakout at practice.
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Malik Willis Calls Joint Practice With Giants ‘Up and Down’ Despite Dolphins O-Line Starting Fight
Per Miami Dolphins insider Marcel Louis-Jacques, fights broke out between the Dolphins and the New York Giants during their joint practice on Thursday, August 20. Dolphins tackle Austin Jackson was ejected for part of practice after punching Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux.
“Fight breaks out between the Dolphins’ O and Giants D,” Louis-Jacques wrote on X. “Austin Jackson threw a punch and was immediately knocked to the ground by Kayvon Thibodeaux. Another fight just broke out on the other field, I didn’t see what happened but a lot of players involved in the aftermath.”
After practice concluded, Malik Willis did not have much to say about the crumbling of his o-line, just that the practice was “up and down.”
Willis then defends the team by praising the Giants defense, and explaining the Dolphins O-Line has a lot more to work on.
“I think those guys have a great front,” Malik Willis on the pressures the Giants created. “We got to figure out where we went wrong… We weren’t game planning for those guys.”
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Dolphins Tackle Austin Jackson Ejected For Part of Dolphins-Giants Practice
Before practice started, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley, said he was not into the idea of fighting. However, things took a turn for the Dolphins. Hafley even took the liberty of removing offensive tackle Austin Jackson for a period of team play after starting a scuffle between the Dolphins and Giants.
“Caedan Wallace has been in for Austin Jackson, so it appears to be a practice ejection for the Dolphins RT,” Dolphins beat reporter David Furones first reported on X.
“And Austin Jackson is now back in to start this new — and final — team period of Dolphins-Giants joint,” Furones continued later on X. “It was only a suspension of an extra period, not an ejection from practice.”
Dolphins center Aaron Brewer came to the defense of Jackson and the Dolphins O-Line in a post-practice interview. On the sideline, Brewer was telling his teammates they needed to focus on details, have a sense of urgency, and lock-in.
“They had some wins, we had some wins,” Jackson said of the joint practice with New York. “I just feel like it was some good competition out there.”
Brewer later adds that sometimes it’s hard to not let the emotions take over and get physical when someone is getting “chippy” in your face. He understands that Hafley had a strict rule of “no fighting,” but doesn’t know what approaches he plans on taking to address what happened at today’s practice.
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