Notes and observations from practice:
(Voluntary) roll call: London was out on the practice field during warmups but had a much lighter load than typical on Monday. Similarly, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had a "scheduled rest day," as Stefanski put it, so he did not participate in any of the on-field drills but was present at practice.
A handful of linebackers were also held out of practice. DeAngelo Malone, Kendal Daniels, JD Bertrand and Troy Andersen were all on the field watching the session, but none of the four participated in drills. Billy Bowman Jr. "continues to hit every mark in his rehab," according to Stefanski, but he is still not ready for practice reps, and second-year safety Xavier Watts also did not work into any drills on Monday. Along the defensive line, rookie Anterio Thompson and Brandon Dorlus were the two players not spotted during practice.
Offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor did not work into position or team drills and was doing individual work off to the side with a trainer; offensive tackle Storm Norton was also present but did not participate.
Rookie cornerback Avieon Terrell has been brought along slowly due to a hamstring injury he dealt with before the draft, but he continues to see more action and was involved in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
Sharp day for No. 1: On Penix's rest day, Tua Tagovailoa stepped up. He was sharp throwing the football, hitting receivers in stride and fitting passes in tight windows. No play illustrated that better than his pass to tight end Joshua Simon during 7-on-7s midway through practice. On a crossing route over the middle, Tagovailoa put the ball into the opening Simon was heading towards, and the athletic second-year tight end did the rest. Simon turned upfield and outran the defense for the remaining 30-or-so yards to reach the end zone. During an 11-on-11 red-zone period, Tagovailoa connected with Robinson, Chris Blair and Casey Washington for touchdowns. His only miss during that drill came on a rollout to the right and with pressure in his face. Stefanski has previously praised his accuracy, and it was on display Monday.
Jack Strand sends it: Maybe the best throw of the day, however, came from rookie Jack Strand. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback put his big arm on display during 7-on-7s and lofted a pretty pass to receiver Dylan Drummond down the left sideline. Drummond had a step or two on his defender and fully extended to get his hands on Strand's pass. Getting his hands on it was all Drummond could do, though, as it was just a tick too far for him to reel in cleanly. Still, it was one of the best passes Strand has had across the OTA sessions open to the media.
Kick returner rotation: The following players, in no particular order, were out there fielding kickoffs and punts from the jugs machine on Monday: Jahan Dotson, Olamide Zaccheaus, Zachariah Branch, Dylan Drummond, Keelan Marion and Vinny Anthony II.
Penix progressing back: While Penix didn't see any action on the field, Stefanski said he's been impressed with what the third-year quarterback has been able to do so far as he progresses back from a knee injury. However, no timeline has been given for when he could begin to practice fully.
"He's hitting every milestone that he's supposed to hit," Stefanski said. "I've been in constant communication with our medical team and Mike, and I think he's doing everything he can do. And certainly, when he may want to do more, we have to hold him back from certain things potentially, but not going to put any time frames out there just yet. Just going to focus on what's in front of him."