A number of clips from the Miami Dolphins' Wednesday practice at the University of Cincinnati circulated online in the past 24 hours, raising questions about whether there was a breach in security or their plan for tonight's game against the Bengals had been exposed.
Evidently, the Dolphins were aware they were being watched and deployed some counterintelligence measures.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that the Dolphins noticed that people were observing their walkthrough session, so head coach Mike McDaniel and company deliberately inserted a 12th player into offensive sets so that nothing would be spoiled on video. The playing field at Nippert Stadium, home of the Cincinnati Bearcats, can be easily viewed by the public.
As Pelissero pointed out on Twitter, the extra player makes it hard to know if the plays were fake or if fake routes were added to real plays to aid the subterfuge.
An NFL spokesperson confirmed to Pelissero that there is no suspicion of a competitive violation committed by any NFL team related to the videos that circulated.
The 3-0 Dolphins practiced Wednesday in Cincinnati after adjusting their travel arrangements for tonight's game due to Hurricane Ian.