Miami Dolphins sign McDonald

Last Saturday, former IU left tackle Andrew McDonald was invited to rookie camps for two NFL teams — the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers.

It turns out that he didn’t even need to go to the second camp to get signed.

McDonald’s agent Josh Marks called him at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday to inform him of Miami’s interest after a weekend with four practices in Miami and multiple meetings.

“It was a big relief,” McDonald said. “I felt like I was pretty calm and collected throughout the process, but when I finally got called this morning, I realized that I was almost just holding my breath the entire time. I just got a big weight off my shoulders.”
“Practices were pretty fun,” McDonald said. “I’m not used to the weather, but it was pretty fun. I felt like I did pretty well, showed them what I had.”

McDonald said he meshed well with the offensive line coach Jim Turner and head coach Joe Philbin. McDonald also said the weather was welcoming.

“It was crazy seeing palm trees right next to the field,” McDonald said. “It was really nice. It was really hot, too, but they took care of us. It’s something I’ll have to get used to, but I’d rather be warm than freezing.”

McDonald heads to Miami on Sunday to take part in the Dolphins’ camp that ends June 22. He said although he is about to get signed (the Dolphins are still drawing up the details of his contract), there is a long way to go until he plays on Sundays.

“I still have to earn a spot, pretty much,” McDonald said. “We’ve still got to do practice. I might get cut and get put on the practice squad, something like that. Nothing is really guaranteed.”

- Alex McCarthy