As OTAs wind down, Jarvis Landry drawing praise from Ryan Tannehill, Joe Philbin

DAVIE, Fla. -- As the Miami Dolphins began the third and final week of organized team activities Monday, it was clear that patterns are emerging.

The defensive line has had its way with the offensive line, the chemistry between quarterback Ryan Tannehill and his new-look receiving unit is a work in progress but has shown improvement, and there's some real talent within the ranks of the cornerbacks.

Under the sweltering June sun at the team's practice facility at Nova Southeastern University, the team ramped up the intensity as they went through team drills and 11-on-11 play with a focus on two-minute drill scenarios toward the end of the two-hour session.

With the team having announced rookie wide receiver DeVante Parker had foot surgery and would be out for the remainder of the offseason, it provided the perfect stage for second-year wideout Jarvis Landry to impress.

With the receivers under pressure from cornerbacks Bobby McCain, Tony Lippett and Zack Bowman -- who each showed quick hands to tip the ball away throughout the day -- Landry still managed to make multiple impressive catches.

"He's catching the ball well," head coach Joe Philbin said of Landry. "The guy's been working hard every single day he's been out here. Sometimes, he does make some of those catches look routine."

Landry was the preferred target for Tannehill as they raced down the field to simulate in-game situations. Landry not only made tough catches but knew how to squeeze extra yards out of each play with a simple spin move or change of speed or direction. His energy was such that he dunked the football over a goal post after a touchdown reception.

His most impressive moment of the day came under heavy traffic in which he somehow held on to the ball with one hand in the end zone despite being closely guarded by safety Reshad Jones.

Tannehill could only smile when asked about Landry's exploits once practice wrapped up. Besides making his job a little easier by managing to complete difficult catches, Tannehill was effusive in his praise when discussing Landry's knack for making spectacular catches, whether it's in OTAs or during the season.

"We see it all the time, just his ability to catch the football, whether it's one hand or making a great catch in traffic with two hands," he said. "He's one of the most talented guys, hands wise, that I've ever seen. So we saw that last year during the season, and he's obviously getting better as time goes on. It's great to have him."

Along with having the mental fortitude for making those kinds of heads-up plays, Tannehill believes Landry still hasn't gotten his full due with regards to his athleticism and knows full well just how special of an athlete Landry really is.

"He's definitely more than (a slot receiver)," Tannehill said. "He's not a 4.3 (40-yard dash) burner guy, but he has all the tools to play outside and get open, and we've seen that so far in OTAs and we'll see it during the season. He's a guy that understands route running. He's not a slow guy. People what to pigeon him as a slow guy, but he can run and he can open and we are confident in his ability to do that."

For his part, Landry understands it's never too early for him and his teammates to bring maximum effort to help bring this year's squad together to play their best once the regular season starts up.

"We're still in the learning process," Landry said. "We're still learning a lot of things so there's a few mental mistakes here and there, but at the same time I think our effort is there and the intensity is there. Guys are competing at a high level which is what coach Philbin wants and you see it. Each day you come out here you see it and that's one of the things is going to help us. Like I've been saying, just rewrite the standard of what a Dolphin player represents."

NEWS AND NOTES

-- The Dolphins announced Monday the signing of wide receiver Tommy Streeter, a move made necessary as Parker recovers from surgery. Streeter, who starred for the University of Miami and was a sixth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2006, was on the practice squad last year for the Dolphins as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars.

-- Cornerback Brent Grimes on what the team hopes to accomplish in the final week of OTAs: "What you're working on is techniques: little things, inducing the defense again, you're learning, getting your footwork right and your timing down. That's what OTAs are for. It's just tune-up and getting ready for the offseason and getting ready for our training camp."

-- Philbin chose not to discuss the specifics of how kicker Caleb Sturgis was recently injured, with multiple reports stating that he was injured while playing kickball.

"I'm not going to get into the thing," he said. "I would just tell you that everything that we do is for a reason or there's a purpose behind everything we do, and we'll continue to give thought to every single minute that these guys spend in here is valuable time. We have six hours this time of year, some days only four hours, so every single thing we do, we think about, we look at, we analyze and do the things we think are in the best interest of the team."

You can follow Surya Fernandez on Twitter @SuryaHeatNBA or email him at SuryaFoxSports@gmail.com.