The Miami Dolphins held a joint practice session this week with the New York Giants, as both teams will face off in their second preseason game on Aug. 22 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Moreover, one player who saw a benefit from the Dolphins practicing against a new offense was rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
On Aug. 20, Rodriguez spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on facing the Giants‘ offense in practice and how that was useful for him, given that it’s not something he’s experienced in the past.
“It’s really cool,” Rodriguez told reporters. “It’s something that’s very unique to the NFL. You don’t ever do this growing up. You don’t ever do this in high school and college. Coming out here and still working through plays and still working through some serious competition that you need full-speed reps at, but you’re getting them against a different look.
“Some of the issues that our offense presents us every day are different from what the Giants will present us every day here and then what the Commanders presented us last week.”
How Dolphins Defense Performed Against Giants Offense
Along with the experience of facing a different team on offense, Rodriguez shared how he felt his teammates on defense did against the Giants’ offense during their practice session.
“I thought we came out and executed well at a high level,” Rodriguez added. “We were physical, we paid attention to detail, and I think that was something we came off last week and really wanted to hit on, executing and all the little details between each call.
“That’s kind of what we wanted to focus on. Today, we got full-speed reps at that and kind of tightened those details up to where we can continue to play faster and play harder. I love the aggression and the passion that we had out there today. Hopefully, we continue that as we move forward.”
Jacob Rodriguez on Transitioning to the NFL
Rodriguez put together a dominant 2025 college football season for Texas Tech, finishing with a 93.3 overall PFF grade that ranked first among 809 qualified linebackers. He also led the position in coverage with a 92.7 grade and topped all linebackers in run defense at 95.3.
As a pass rusher, his 62.2 grade ranked 452nd among qualified linebackers, showing that area as his weakest phase.
Furthermore, he finished the year with 81 solo tackles, added four total pressures and one sack as a blitzer, and allowed an 82.7 passer rating when targeted in coverage. He was also credited with 17 missed tackles across the season.
Ahead of his rookie campaign, Rodriguez recently spoke with the NFL Network and shared an update on his transition from college to the pros so far.
“I think everybody thinks about the NFL and how it’s super hard to get into and super hard to stay in,” Rodriguez told Cameron Wolfe and Steve Smith Sr. on Aug. 3. “If you get rid of all the stuff that’s incorrect, fall in line and do the right thing, and do the simple things the best, you’ll put yourself in a good position.
“If you’re the best at walkthroughs, the best at taking notes in meetings and the best at doing the small things, you don’t have to do all these other things [and] if you just do the simple things the best, I think you’ll stay around for a long time.”
Jacob Rodriguez Delivers Blunt Message Before Dolphins-Giants Game