Dolphins to hold no practices during rookie minicamp

The Miami Dolphins are trying something radical and not holding a single on-field practice during the upcoming rookie minicamp.

In the coming weeks, all 32 NFL teams will be welcoming their newest members to camp as rookies, both drafted and signed afterward, hold minicamps for their newest players to help them get ready for life in the NFL.

In the case of the Miami Dolphins, their upcoming minicamp for first-year players will be something new and a little bit odd in the world of professional football. New head coach Adam Gase, according to the Miami Herald, is instituting new plans that include the players not touching pads and hitting the field one time:

"Instead, Dolphins rookies will spend all their time during this minicamp in classroom sessions learning how to be Miami Dolphins. That means they’re going to get schooled on the schemes they’re playing, their assignments, and everything football that involves the brain.But they’re also going to get a little polished up as people. They’re going to get life labs to help them with nutrition, financial planning, sports science, and dealing with the media"

Gase believes that with the players coming off a two to three-month stretch that includes Pro Days, the NFL Combine and numerous other workouts and travel to try to get a spot on an NFL roster, the players need a chance to recover and prepare for a possible spot on the Dolphins’ 2016 roster.

The Dolphins recently held a voluntary veteran camp (with several noticeable absences that included high-priced defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh) in which those players got a chance to learn the new system under Gase. The first year head man wants the rookies to be able to have the same chance so the team will be ready to compete at OTAs and the eventual training camp later this summer.

The Miami Dolphins finished the 2015 season with a 6-10 record, which included five losses in their last seven games and a 1-3 start to the season that led to the firing of head coach Joe Philbin, who was replaced by the team’s tight ends coach, Dan Campbell.

For more NFL news, check out our NFL hub page.