Dolphins explain Tindall, Ezukanma situations. And why coaches are excited about Liam

The Dolphins’ two highest draft picks this year have played a combined nine snaps of offense and defense.

Third-round linebacker Channing Tindall has logged nine defensive snaps and none since the first half of the Bears game Nov. 6. Meanwhile, fourth round receiver Erik Ezukanma, who caught 10 passes for 156 yards in preseason, hasn’t played in any games.

So what’s going on here?

Receivers coach Wes Welker has said veterans are ahead of him and noted that he’s backing up Tyreek Hill, who has been healthy all season.

The Dolphins promoted practice squad receiver Braylon Sanders for a second time this season, against Buffalo, instead of Ezukanma because Sanders has more experience in the X position played by River Cracraft, who missed the Bills game with an injury.

“Braylon is next guy up at the position,” Welker said. “It’s not fair to say to Erik, ‘now you’re the X.”

So is Ezukanma struggling to grasp the playbook?

“Erik’s doing fine. Erik’s doing great,” Welker said. “He’ll keep progressing and he’s going to be a great player for us. He’s getting a good grasp of the offense. There’s a ton of details that go into [the Dolphins’ offense]. It takes a lot of reps and a lot of time. The guys that are playing tend to get a lot of those reps.”

Ezukanma, who plays the Z and F receiver positions, spends most of his time on the scout team “and it’s tough for him to get those reps in practice because of other guys needing those reps. You do a lot of that during training camp.

“We have very long play calls” and a lot of details and nuances that receivers must know.

And “if they are not on point with the quarterback, there’s too much of a pass rush to be off point even a little bit,” Welker said. “There was a time it was hard [for Ezukanma] to even line up. Now he’s lining up right. Erik will get there.”

Welker also noted the steep learning curve in moving from Texas Tech’s spread offense to an NFL offense.

“I came from that offense,” Welker said, noting he had no receptions as a rookie.

So what gives Welker hope that Ezukanma can be a good NFL receiver?

“He has the strength, the size, the hands, the speed we really like in our receivers,” he said. “I look forward to really working with him [next offseason]. It’s nothing we’re really worried about.”

As for Tindall, defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said he’s not playing because he “has veteran players in front of him that know and understand the defense a little better than he does. He runs well, he’s a physical player, tackles well. We’re encouraged by that.”

Tindall has played 135 snaps on special teams.

EICHENBERG RETURN

Dolphins coaches seem eager to see Liam Eichenberg, who missed the past six games with a knee injury. He’s practicing and likely will come off injured reserve in the coming days. Rob Jones has played left guard in his place.

Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Eichenberg’s pass protection was at a high level before his injury. “We saw great growth,” Smith said.

How was Eichenberg as a run blocker? Offensive line coach Matt Applebaum didn’t answer directly but said “Liam has the skill set to excel in all things we’re asking him to do. I don’t see anything he can’t accomplish within our scheme.”

▪ Per SI.com, the Dolphins have passed eight times on 3rd and 1 and converted only one of them; they were 0 for 2 on converting passes on 3rd and 1 against Buffalo. Conversely, Miami converted its only third and one rushing attempt against Buffalo and has converted 7 of 11 third and 1 runs this season.

Asked about the failed third and 1 passes against Buffalo, Smith said: “We felt opportunities presented for throwing the ball, advantageous looks to throw it. We didn’t exactly get what we thought would play out on those plays.”

Did McDaniel second-guess himself after the game for those failed third and ones?

“Mike doesn’t normally second guess himself,” Smith said. “He’s confident in the decisions he makes. If you’re driven only by results, you’re going to be miserable every day.”

▪ Welker, on Jaylen Waddle, who leads the league in average yards per reception (18.0): “There were a lot of details early on that weren’t quite there yet. He was still doing well because of what a freak athlete he is and how fast he is and being able to win one on one battles.

“The details, now it’s starting to hit. it’s been really cool to see. Just his burst, when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s gone. He got the mindset of once he gets the ball in his hands to take it to the house.”