Dolphins get clarity on one player who hasn’t been around. And Marino bullish on Tua

One of the Miami Dolphins’ most productive players has decided to attend the team’s mandatory minicamp after bypassing voluntary sessions.

Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah — who has been training on his own in recent weeks while many of his teammates worked together at team headquarters — will attend the Dolphins’ mandatory minicamp that runs Tuesday through Thursday this week, agent Drew Rosenhaus said on his weekly segment on WSVN-Fox 7.

But Rosenhaus also made clear that Ogbah would like a new contract after producing a career-high nine sacks last season in 16 games, including 12 starts.

“We would like to get an extension done,” Rosenhaus said. “We’ve approached the Dolphins about that. That’s as much as I can say.”

In March 2020, Ogbah signed a two-year deal with salaries of $7.5 million in 2020 in 2021.

Ogbah and cornerback Xavien Howard are the only Dolphins players who have attended none of the three voluntary OTA sessions that were open to the media during the past three weeks. A dozen or so players have attended one or two of those three sessions.

As for Howard, agent David Canter did not immediately respond when asked if his client will attend the mandatory minicamp.

An associate said he expected Howard would attend to avoid a fine but wasn’t certain.

Howard would like a raise and restructured contract, but the Dolphins have been noncommittal about doing that, according to a league source.

Howard has four years remaining on a five-year, $76 million million extension that he signed two years ago. He’s due to make $12.1 million in base salary this season.

A source said Howard has been dealing with a minor quadriceps injury, at least in recent weeks. So if he attends the camp this week, he might be rehabbing on the side.

NFL players who do not attend mandatory minicamp are subject to fines in the $93,000 range. Coach Brian Flores said last week that he expects every player to attend this week’s session, which will conclude the team’s offseason program.

MARINO ON TUA

Legendary former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was effusive in his praise of Tua Tagovailoa in an ESPN interview to promote Marino’s partnership with Nutrisystem.

“He’s been great; he’s been awesome,” Marino said. “He has all the talent in the world. Now it’s just about him developing the relationship with the other players. It’s been tough because he didn’t have OTAs last year, a lot of the summer camp or the chance to play in exhibition games.

“All those things delay you somewhat. I’ll tell you, he works his butt off. I’m really excited about him, his future and our future as a team.

“As time goes on, you get a better handle [of responsibilities]. You know your people. That’s what OTAs is about, getting your timing down. He played a lot last year and when he played, we won games. We almost got in the playoffs. All that is a positive. You try to build from the positives.”

Marino said Tagovailoa “wants to be really good. And in time, he’s going to get there because that’s what type of kid he is.”

Marino works for the Dolphins as a special advisor to the chairman, team president and CEO. He often attends team meetings, especially with the quarterbacks.

HOOKER UPDATE

Safety Malik Hooker, who visited the Dolphins last month, suggested he doesn’t expect to sign a deal with any team until closer to training camp.

In an interview with Sirius XM Radio, Hooker said he hopes to speak with teams before training camp opens. Besides the Dolphins, he also has visited the Cowboys and Steelers.

He indicated he’s probably going to get only a one-year deal because he’s coming off an Achilles tear sustained in the Colts’ second game last season. He said he believes he’s “capable” of playing right now, but isn’t totally back to pre-injury form.

“It’s about fitting into the perfect system to be able to go out there and show my talents,” Hooker said. “There were a couple of teams I visited with that I thought highly of. Training camp’s next month, not next week, so I’ve got time to be able to still tune up things and still hopefully go on more visits to see what else teams are talking about. Maybe meet with some teams I’ve met with before hopefully.”

Hooker, drafted by the Colts with the 15th pick in the 2017 draft, has seven interceptions in four seasons.

The Dolphins signed veteran cornerback/safety Jason McCourty two days after bringing in Hooker for a visit. So a Hooker/Dolphins alliance appears unlikely.

THIS AND THAT

The next Super Bowl that the Dolphins are hoping to secure is the February 2027 game, according to Miami Super Bowl committee chairman Rodney Baretto.

Southern California and Glendale, Arizona, will host the next two games. The 2024 site is undetermined. New Orleans will get the 2025 game.

The Dolphins hosted the February 2020 game between Kansas City and San Francisco.

▪ Dolphins Hall of Fame center Dwight Stephenson is hosting a charity golf tournament on Friday at the Boca Lago Golf & Country Club, with proceeds benefiting United Community Options of South Florida, affiliated with United Cerebral Palsy.

Spots remain available; the cost is $325 for an individual golfer and $1,500 for a foursome. Registration/Breakfast begins at 7:30, followed by shotgun start at 9 and an awards luncheon at 1:00.

For information or to sign up, go to www.unitedcommunityoptionssfl.org or email DavidPerez@uco-ucpsfl.org.