Dolphins Preseason Home Opener: 10 Players/Things to Watch
Dolphins Preseason Home Opener: The Miami Dolphins will open their home preseason schedule on Saturday night against the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium. As is the case with many preseason games, the final result won’t be nearly as crucial as the evaluation of the players and positional groups.
In light of this, the following is a list of ten things and players to keep an eye on for the Dolphins as they attempt to improve their preseason record to 2-0.
THE LINEUP
Before we get into specific players, the first important question that will need to be answered is exactly who will and won’t be participating versus the Raiders. This will need to be answered before we can move on to discussing individual players. The Dolphins won their game against Tampa Bay by a score of 26-24 last Saturday night, and head coach Mike McDaniel said this week that it was safe to assume that some of the players who didn’t play in that game would play in the game against Las Vegas.
The Dolphins sat out more than a dozen front-line players in that game. It will be fascinating to see if guys like Tyreek Hill and Xavien Howard get any playing time, despite the fact that Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback for the Alabama team, will be the primary focus of attention today. Because neither Jaylen Waddle nor Terron Armstead have participated in practise this week, we have no reason to believe that either of them, along with other injured players like Brennan Scarlett, Tanner Conner, or Eric Rowe, will be available to play.
QB TUA TAGOVAILOA
Before one of the joint sessions in Tampa, McDaniel stated that his hope was that Tagovailoa would receive some time during the preseason. However, Tagovailoa did not play in the first game of the season because McDaniel suggested that he had seen what he wanted to see in practise.
Tagovailoa did not have a particularly successful week of practise this past week, despite the fact that he did have a productive outing on Thursday. In addition, if McDaniel wants to see Tagovailoa execute throughout the preseason, it is likely more logical for him to do it in the second game rather than the final game of the preseason.
QB SKYLAR THOMPSON
It would not be surprising if Thompson did not play at all against the Raiders, despite the fact that we do not anticipate the rookie seventh-round pick to play the full game as he did against Tampa Bay. However, we do anticipate that he will not play the entire game. In the event that he does take the field, it will be fascinating to observe whether or not he is able to improve upon his outstanding performance against the Buccaneers, in which he completed 20 of 28 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown.
THE OFFENSIVE LINE
Absolutely, we are going to bring up this team before each and every preseason game. And this will continue to be the case from one season to the next until the Dolphins are able to put together a reliable team that is no longer a mystery.
Last week against the Buccaneers, projected starting lineup members Robert Hunt, Austin Jackson, and Liam Eichenberg all played two series apiece. It wouldn’t be surprising in the least if new centre Connor Williams joined them on the field for this game, as all three of those players have already seen action against the Buccaneers. This should still be terrific practise for a unit that will be a significant factor in the success of the offence in 2022, despite the fact that Armstead won’t be out there very frequently.
WR LYNN BOWDEN JR.
We put a lot of emphasis on both Bowden and Preston Williams before the game at Tampa Bay, but Bowden was the one who surprised everyone with his play. Not only did he have three receptions, but he also had one impressive punt return and one impressive kickoff return, and he demonstrated his potential value as a return specialist. As a matter of fact, we’d go as far as to suggest that he put himself back into the thick of the competition for one of the final roster spots. Not only did he have three receptions, but he also showed his potential value as a return specialist. Bowden needs to be able to replicate that performance since obviously consistency is one of the most important factors.
TE MIKE GESICKI
Mike Gesicki’s appearance in the game against Tampa Bay was undoubtedly the most surprise thing that could have happened. However, he was not the only front-line player to do so. Even though we don’t anticipate the preseason to shed any light on Gesicki’s place in the new offence and even though we don’t anticipate the preseason to provide clear answers, it will still be interesting to see how he will be used in the second preseason game — that is, assuming he will be in the lineup once again.
LB CHANNING TINDALL
The Georgian rookie who was selected in the third round of the draught had a very encouraging preseason debut, displaying his ability to make tackles in open field situations. One of those tackles was made by him while playing on special teams, which is the area of the field in which he is most likely to see the most of his playing time as a rookie. But if Tindall puts in more consistent effort this summer, he has a good chance of arguing his way into a spot on the defence.
CB NOAH IGBINOGHENE
Because he was a first-round pick two years ago, Noah Igbinoghene always will be in the spotlight as long as he continues with the Dolphins, as we said before the game against Tampa Bay. This will be the case as long as he plays for the Dolphins. Igbinoghene has had, without a shadow of a doubt, an inconsistent summer, but he hasn’t been quite as useless as some might say he has been. In spite of this, the Dolphins would be overjoyed if he could finally step up to the plate and demonstrate that he is somebody who deserves to play a part in the defence.
CB MACKENSIE ALEXANDER
After signing with the Dolphins earlier this week, Alexander was able to take part in three practises and was even on the field for some team drills during the very first practise he attended after making the team. This would appear to indicate that he will suit up and get some snaps against the Raiders, and the attention will be on him to demonstrate that he can be a significant assistance for the defence in 2022.
FIGHTING TO STAY ON THE TEAM
The Dolphins will need to make at least five more roster moves in order to get down to the 80-player maximum by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, which is three days after this game. The game’s outcome versus Las Vegas may make a difference in who gets to stay around for at least another week.
On the basis of the playing time against Tampa Bay, the depth chart, and the observations made during practise, the rookie offensive linemen Kellen Diesch and Blaine Andries, running back Za’Quandre White, linebacker Owen Carney Jr., running back Gerrid Doaks, cornerback D’Angelo Ross, punter Sterling Hofrichter, and possibly even running back Salvon Ahmed are among the players who could be playing to stay past the next round of cuts.