Dolphins find their No. 3 tackle. And notes from first media day in locker room since 2019

The Dolphins’ search for a No. 3 offensive tackle has ended, at least for now, with a player already here for the past year.

Greg Little — a former second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers — not only won his battle with Larnel Coleman to make the 53-man roster, but also survived the waiver claim process Wednesday, when Miami bypassed adding any one of dozens of tackles released by other teams. (The Dolphins made no waiver claims at any position.)

It was a show of faith by a coaching staff intrigued by his skill set and a general manager (Chris Grier) who admired his game going back to Little’s time at Mississippi.

Besides bringing him to South Florida for a predraft visit, Grier traded a seventh-round pick to Carolina for him last August. Then Grier and this coaching staff patiently waited as Little missed time during preseason with an injury. Little returned for Saturday’s game against the Eagles and won a job with an excellent performance.

Grier “showed a lot of confidence in me, [told me last August] how he liked my game out of college,” Little said Wednesday. “Chris is a fantastic guy.”

And Little said this coaching staff is maximizing his talents: “This is a great system; it has shown on tape before me. The resume of the scheme is tremendous. I bought in early and really trusted the process. This system fits what I do well, being athletic, moving around, using my size.”

For two weeks in camp, Little sat and watched Coleman, Kion Smith and others take tackle snaps while he nursed an injury.

“It was tough because I felt like I had a good camp,” Little said. “The biggest thing was to stay mentally engaged.”

Though he’s more comfortable at left tackle, he played right tackle some in high school and is cross-training there, which would allow him to enter the game if either starting tackle (Terron Armstead or Austin Jackson) is injured.

Little — who appeared in 14 games and made six starts in two seasons for Carolina — has not appeared in a regular-season game since November 2020, when he was playing for the Panthers, who drafted him 37th overall in 2019. He didn’t appear in a game last season for Miami before going on injured reserve in November.

If all goes well for Armstead and Jackson, he won’t be needed this season. But the Dolphins have confidence in him if they do, and keep in mind that Armstead missed nine games last season and has never played a full season in nine years in the league.

“Greg is blessed with a great skill set,” offensive line coach Matt Applebaum said last week. “He’s a smart guy. He has shown in camp since the pads have come on that he has physicality to him.”

Here’s one area of growth from his Carolina days: “When I mess up, it used to wear on me. Now I know everybody makes mistakes. Tom Brady is the GOAT and he has thrown interceptions before. It’s how you bounce back from it and have more good plays than bad.”

THIS AND THAT

The Dolphins began filling out their 16-man practice squad by adding former Baylor cornerback Kalon Barnes, who was released by the Panthers after being selected by them in the seventh round of April’s draft.

Barnes ran a 4.23-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the second-fastest time at the Combine since 2003.

Barnes, 6-0, played receiver as a Baylor freshman and then moved to corner, where he had three interceptions and 14 passes defended during the past three seasons.

According to several sources, the Dolphins also added to their practice squad at least eight players who they cut on Tuesday: Coleman, receiver River Cracraft, defensive tackle Ben Stille, Mississippi receiver Braylon Sanders, seventh-round rookie edge player Cameron Goode, undrafted Oregon safety Verone McKinley III, South Carolina rookie running back ZaQuandre White and veteran edge player Porter Gustin.

Defensive tackle Benito Jones was claimed off waivers by Detroit.

▪ Safeties Eric Rowe and Clayton Fejedelem, cornerback Nik Needham and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel were not spotted at practice.

Rowe said he sustained a pectoral injury in the Eagles game and isn’t sure about his availability for the opener. Van Ginkel, who had his appendix removed, hopes to be ready by the opener or Week 2. Needham’s injury is considered minor. Fejedelem’s absence wasn’t explained.

Fullback Alec Ingold, who sustained an ACL injury for the Raiders in Week 10 last season, said he missed the Eagles preseason game because of stomach flu but will be ready for Week 1.

▪ A day after Grier said that two teams called about tight end Mike Gesicki but that the Dolphins never shopped him, Gesicki indicated he’s glad he’s still in Miami.

“I do enjoy my time here,” he said.

He did not seek clarity about his status on the team and the organization did not offer any to him, he said.

He said the process of working on his blocking - and playing more in-line and expanding his role and skill set - “is something I’m excited about, excited to be able to continue to grow and develop.”

▪ The joy of on-the-bubble Dolphins who made the team was evident on Wednesday, with Elijah Campbell noting, “This is the first time I’ve been on this side of the cutting block” in terms of keeping a job and not losing it.

“There’s a sense of belonging. I feel I belong here. I earned [the job].”

Campbell, a special teams contributor, had two interceptions in preseason and said he appreciates the chance to get extended playing time on defense for the first time. He can play safety or cornerback.

▪ New edge player Trey Flowers, who has started 56 of his last 58 NFL games, said he’s at peace with a rotational role and “I’m all about winning.”

▪ Wednesday marked the first time that reporters have been inside the Dolphins locker room since they trained at Nova Southeastern in Davie in 2019, before the pandemic.

The Dolphins moved last year to a plush new training facility on the grounds of Hard Rock Stadium, and the locker room is significantly larger and far more aesthetically pleasing than the Nova complex. There’s a ping-pong table in the center of the locker room, and several Dolphins were playing after Wednesday’s practice.

▪ The Patriots plan to practice in South Florida for several days next week to acclimate themselves to the weather in advance of the Sept. 11 opener at Hard Rock Stadium.