MIAMI — Every so often, Dolphins wide receiver Patrick Turner will look down at his cellphone to another new text message from a friend, whether someone he knows from high school or college, always hitting him with the same question.

“Why aren’t you playing yet?” they write.
If Turner really wanted to tire out his fingers with a thorough response, he could explain the challenges Miami faces by activating five receivers on Sundays (instead of four) and the sacrifices it would require in several areas, including special teams.
Or he could simply write one word: “Soon.”
“I’ve just got to stay on top of things and keep it moving forward,” said Turner, a third-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. “I feel if I do that, I’ll get a shot here pretty soon.”
NO QUICK FIXES
For outsiders, the frustrations fueled by the Dolphins’ lagging air attack might cause wonder about why Turner has yet to get a chance. But that’s not the reason fans should expect his debut any week now.
Instead, Turner’s eventual rise is inevitable because of an important philosophy held by the organization’s trifecta of power, all the way up to Bill Parcells: By the season’s end, the Dolphins want to have more answers than questions going forward.
An evaluation of the rookies is a top priority in that process.
“It is part of our plan, part of the master plan, to make sure that this team is going to be a good team for a long time and not just a short, quick fix,” coach Tony Sparano said Wednesday.
So far, whether forced because of injuries or chosen because of a desire to accelerate progress, the Dolphins are engaged in a number of those evaluations right now.
Four of the team’s nine rookies (Vontae Davis, Sean Smith, Brian Hartline and Chris Clemons) saw significant action in the past two games, and one (Pat White) has been used sporadically as the team experiments with a spread-option offense.
Five of last year’s draft picks also are used often — and that doesn’t include undrafted wide receiver Davone Bess, a go-to slot receiver.
“I think the more younger guys we can get involved in the ball games as we go along, the better off we will be,” Sparano said. “That’s not now, because we are 3-5 — that happened long ago.
“It’s no different than with (second-year defensive ends Kendall) Langford and (Phillip) Merling. We threw them right out there and made them swim.”
There is no question, regardless of the team’s record, that the Dolphins have deliberately instigated the team’s youth movement. The clearest case for this has been safety Chris Clemons, a fifth-round pick out of Clemson.
GROWING UP FAST
Even in the wake of Gibril Wilson’s struggles, Clemons was a raw talent still considered to be a developmental project. But given the narrowing margin between a rookie and a veteran in terms of ability, the Dolphins saw no reason to inhibit the growth of a younger player by minimizing his game-day repetitions.
Davis, Miami’s first-round draft pick this season, said he makes the best progress as a result of seeing what he did wrong during an actual game, then fixing it in practices.
“When you can look at the film and see how much you can get better, it’s the best feeling ever,” Davis said.
“You’re so anxious to get back to practice, thinking, ’Man, if I can do this, I’m going to be so much better.’ “
Which brings it all back to Turner. As the Dolphins continue their week-by-week evaluations, it seems only natural that Turner is next in line when it comes to getting on the field.
Sparano explained Wednesday that Turner’s lack of action to this point has been the result of a numbers game, one that gets tougher when considering the diverse roles of the four wide receivers now on the game-day roster.
“We’re not going to get five (wide receivers) to the game at this second. I don’t feel like that’s a good deal with where we are at this point in time,” Sparano said. “You never know — that could change.”
JUST KEEP WORKING
It could change soon, actually. As has been the case for many of the rookies who have seen their share of action lately, it sounds as if Turner undoubtedly will be the next young player to join Miami’s youth movement.
Then the first-year player out of Southern California can answer those text messages with a different response.
“Somebody’s got to stay back, and at this point it’s been Pat,” Sparano said. “But I do want to get Pat Turner involved. I don’t want to have questions at the end of the year. I want to get him involved. He’s got to keep working in practice like he is, and at some point his number is going to get called.”