Dolphins announce season awards: Here’s who won team MVP, other honors

The Miami Dolphins announced their squad grant winners for the 2021 play Thursday.

Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was named the Dan Marino Most Valuable Player, antiaircraft backmost Jason McCourty earned the Don Shula Leadership Award, linebacker Elandon Roberts was named the team’s Ed Block Courage Award victor and linebacker Jaelan Phillips earned the Nat Moore Community Service Award.

Waddle is the archetypal rookie to triumph squad MVP since linebacker Zach Thomas successful 1996. Other rookies to triumph it are quarterbacks Marino (1983), David Woodley (1980) and Bob Griese (1967). Waddle is the 5th wide receiver to gain the honor, joining Jarvis Landry (2015 co-winner), Chris Chambers (2005), O.J. McDuffie (1997-98) and Paul Warfield (1970 co-winner).

“I admit it, for sure,” Waddle said successful a web league connected Thursday, anxious to proceed improving. “I deliberation I got country for maturation always. I look backmost connected games and look backmost connected film, and I’ll astir apt ticker a batch of the games aft the play to spot wherever I tin get better.”

Waddle enters the last crippled of his rookie play with 99 receptions for 988 yards. He tin interruption Anquan Boldin’s NFL rookie receptions grounds with 3 much connected Sunday against the New England Patriots.

Roberts won the Courage Award aft coming backmost from a season-ending genu wounded suffered precocious successful the 2020 play astatine Las Vegas. He underwent country successful January 2021 and returned successful clip to commencement this season’s opener astatine the New England Patriots.

This year, helium acceptable a vocation precocious with 79 tackles (42 solo) with 1 crippled remaining. When helium returned to Allegiant Stadium, the tract wherever helium was carted disconnected of aft suffering the injury, helium had an 85-yard interception instrumentality for a touchdown against the Raiders.

“I conscionable privation to amusement my appreciation for the grooming unit present with the Miami Dolphins,” Roberts said. “They were with maine time successful and time out. … They conscionable travel successful present each time and conscionable effort to bash their occupation the champion they can, and I conscionable admit them. To beryllium honest, winning this grant is fundamentally conscionable a tribute to them.”

Phillips is the archetypal rookie to triumph the Community Service Award since its inception successful 1987. Among his charitable acts, helium donated to assistance Surfside residents pursuing the condo illness and for Haiti Relief pursuing the earthquakes successful August 2021. Phillips, who played astatine the University of Miami, has been actively progressive with the Lotus House, improving the lives of stateless women and children successful Miami. He is portion of the Dolphins’ Social Impact Committee, moving to amended civic engagement, acquisition and economical empowerment successful South Florida. Phillips besides helped those successful request during the vacation season, participating successful respective repast and acquisition distributions successful November and December.

“When I came down to South Florida, the archetypal happening that I knew was that I wanted to marque an interaction successful the community,” Phillips said. “I’ve been blessed to beryllium with a squad who was highly adjuvant successful facilitating a batch of that for me.”

McCourty is conscionable the seventh subordinate to triumph the Leadership Award successful his archetypal play with the team, joining Ryan Fitzpatrick (2019), Frank Gore (2018), Karlos Dansby (2010), Chad Pennington (2008), Junior Seau (2003) and Fred Barnett (1996). He is besides a finalist for the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award this year.

The MVP is voted connected by South Florida media who regularly screen the team. The Leadership Award is voted connected by players, and the Courage Award recipient is selected by the Dolphins’ diversion grooming staff.

Other news

Aside from the 2 active-roster players inactive connected the reserve/COVID-19 list, cornerback Noah Igbinoghene and information Sheldrick Redwine, the Dolphins had cleanable attendance again astatine Thursday’s practice.