Patrick Paul has been a dominant force at training camp.
He’s clearing rushing lanes. He’s moving defenders like it’s nothing. And he’s apparently letting them know too.
“He’s annoying as hell to go against, I’ll tell you that much, because he is a [trash] talker,” edge rusher Jaelan Phillips said Tuesday. “During practice, I hate him, but afterwards, the only thing I can do it admire him and admire his physical presence, admire his skill set, admire his athleticism, admire his work ethic and his ability to make adjustments and corrections.”
“He’s a very polite, gentle giant, but when he gets on that field, he’s a different animal for sure,” Phillips continued, adding that “Patrick is the type of dude who will laugh in your face.”
Paul’s trash-talking prowess only adds another level of depth to the second-year player who will likely be the Dolphins’ starting left tackle. . Known primarily for his quiet demeanor despite his large stature, the 23-year-old has apparently been building quite the reputation between the lines.
“I think it makes it fun,” Paul said Wednesday, explaining that UFC legend Conor McGregor was one of his favorite athletes growing up because “he’d beat the people before he even went against them. Just purely off of getting in their head.”
And just what’s his favorite style of trash talking?
“It just depends on the person, depends on the day they’re having also, their approach, but it’s easy to get under someone’s skin,” Paul said. “It doesn’t even have to be something crazy, just something minute. Like a laughter when you’re locking someone up – that’ll get them, I’m not going to lie. So it really depends on the person, and you just have to have fun with it.”
Put differently, Paul doesn’t get too personal. He’s not going to find slide into opposing girlfriends’ DMs like former Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey did in college. He’s not going to fire expletives at young players who admire him like NBA legend Kevin Garnett did. And he’s probably not going to call you trash on national television like former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman did.
“I’ll stick to like the laughter, the little annoying things to do to somebody,” Paul quipped. Despite how it may annoy teammates, it gives him motivation. “If you’re going to do it, you must win. That’s the other aspect too: it really makes you go harder.”
Although teammates first discovered Paul’s slick mouth during his rookie season, it apparently has taken a step forward in 2025. That’s because unlike last year, Paul has played much better.
“I think like a lot of people, he’s out to prove something,” coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday. “But he understands the connectivity of the work and the result. Not chasing the result, chasing the work to get the result.”
Paul’s work ethic during the offseason has been tremendous, according to teammates. Not only was he a constant presence at the Baptist Health Training Facility, he sought the advice of several of his older teammates.
“He’s been very intentional,” center Aaron Brewer said Sunday. “Since the season ended last year, I’ve spent a lot of time with Pat. So our grind, his mentality, his work, doing two-a-days, three-a-days, stuff like that, it’s different. Not the average athlete or just person is doing stuff like that, so how he’s coming into Year 2, I love where he’s at. His mentality, his work ethic, I love it all.”
After a little more than a week of trash-talking teammates, Paul will finally get his first taste of non-Dolphins action in the exhibition season. The list of edge rushers that he will face – from the Chicago Bears’ Montez Sweat to the Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker — will surely test his ability.