MIAMI GARDENS — Three weeks and one exhibition game have revealed a few things about the 2023 Miami Dolphins. It’s still early, so the preseason-opening 19-3 loss on Friday night to the Atlanta Falcons shouldn’t be viewed as a big deal.
But as we head toward the approximate midpoint of training camp and preseason it’s important to note we’re less than a month away from the Sept. 10 season opener at the Los Angeles Chargers. Many decisions must be made in the next three weeks.
The Dolphins were off Saturday and are back on the practice field Sunday, a few days ahead of this week’s trip to Houston for joint practices and Saturday’s game.
Here’s what we’ve learned so far about the Dolphins:
This injury thing is real
In the past several days wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and rookie cornerback Cam Smith have left the field with injury scares, and when you combine those with the loss of Jalen Ramsey due to his knee injury it’ll be interesting to see how coach Mike McDaniel proceeds over the next week.
Players such as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and left tackle Terron Armstead might not see any action in next Saturday’s game, and Armstead, who hasn’t done much since coming off the physically-unable-to-perform list after offseason knee surgery, might be limited in joint practices against the Texans.
Defensively, the starters probably need a little gametime under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio but it’s hard to say whether that comes this week in Houston. The key, of course, is not exposing key players such as defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, cornerback Xavien Howard, edge rusher Bradley Chubb and others to unnecessary injury risk.
So far, it seems recent injury news not too serious. No one has been publicly announced as being lost for an extended period. McDaniel said Waddle, who left Wednesday’s joint practice against Atlanta with a midsection ailment, is on the road to recovery.
“He’s doing good, it was a midsection injury,” McDaniel said after the game, adding, “You never want to see anyone ever get injured, but he’s banked enough quality reps that I’m really not worried about his participation within the offense. Fortunate that it’s not something that will be a long-term deal, but he’s steadily rehabbing and working with the trainers which fires me up.”
But there’s no word yet on Smith, the second-round pick who left the field on Friday with a right shoulder injury.
“It seems like it’s a shoulder injury,” McDaniel said after the game. “To what extent and the length is kind of unknown right now. He did get dinged a little bit.”
Eichenberg and Jackson start
Left guard Liam Eichenberg and right tackle Austin Jackson, the two projected offensive line starters being eyes most suspiciously, each started and played 14 snaps against Atlanta and both seemed to play OK.
Jackson seems set as the starter for now while Eichenberg is fighting for his starting job among a crew that includes Isaiah Wynn (31 snaps played) and Lester Cotton (47 snaps).
Mike White and Skylar Thompson struggle
Backup quarterback remains the No. 1 battle of training camp and Friday confirmed once again there’s no reliable backup if Tagovailoa is sidelined. That doesn’t mean neither Mike White nor Skylar Thompson will emerge, but it might mean the Dolphins might want to look a bit harder at the daily list of available quarterbacks.
White started and played the entire first half, going 9 of 14 for 85 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a 51.2 passer rating. He was sacked once.
“I think there was some good, there was some bad, and there was some learning moments, and that’s going to happen in any preseason game,” White said. “It’s when you want it to happen. You don’t want it to happen Week 1.”
Thompson played the entire second half and went 10 of 16 for 104 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions for a 41.7 passer rating. He was sacked four times.
“It was obviously tough sledding there with the turnovers and just getting into a rhythm, it was tough,” Thompson said. “But just keeping in mind that this is the preseason, it’s the time to learn, the time to grow. It’s not always going to be perfect. I just need to go back and watch the tape and just learn and do what I can to get better from every single experience that I got tonight.”
Thompson is the likely starter for Saturday’s game at Houston.
McDaniel didn’t offer an opinion on the backup quarterback battle.
“You don’t just look at it like, ‘OK, Mike did better than Skylar,’ ” he said. “It’s much more complicated than that in terms of the opportunities both had. Skylar needs an opportunity to play with the same guys that Mike played with, which he’ll probably get next week.
“I think it’s about how people learn, react, and especially with quarterbacks, you have to be very coachable. There’s going to be a point where Tua is going to be taking all the reps and you’d better be learning from the things that you did in the preseason and the things that Tua is learning from. Quite critical in the whole evaluation process is how guys move forward from here.”
They’re trying with the tight ends
Dolphins tight ends Eric Saubert, Tyler Kroft and Elijah Higgins had their chances to show their receiving skills against the Falcons with six targets, many in the red zone. None shined brightly as a receiver.
Higgins, the rookie sixth-round pick who was a wide receiver at Stanford, ended with two receptions for 36 yards. He had three targets in 22 snaps.
Saubert, the likely No. 2 tight end behind starter Durham Smythe, had one reception for six yards. He was targeted once in 24 snaps.
Kroft had no receptions on two targets while playing 29 snaps.
Achane gets 15 touches
You can tell the Dolphins want rookie running back De’Von Achane on the field, and Friday’s 15-touch performance showed they’re examining the possibilities.
Achane had 10 carries for 25 yards, four receptions for 41 yards (on six targets) and one kickoff return for 39 yards.
One CB stands out
In the race for starting cornerback opposite Howard in the nickel package (when starting boundary cornerback Kader Kohou shifts to the slot), nobody stood out Friday except Smith, the youngster, who showed he’ll get involved in the action against the run or pass.
Smith (22 snaps) had four tackles, one for loss, and one pass defended.
Noah Igbinoghene (24 snaps) and Eli Apple (18 snaps) started on the boundary with Bryce Thompson (27 snaps) in the slot.
Igbinoghene ended with one tackle, Apple ended with three and Thompson ended with two.
At this point it’s unlikely Smith is being seriously considered as the starter opposite Howard in the nickel package. But if he’s healthy, he might get a look or two at the job this week.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White looks to throw against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White looks to throw against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White throws against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin runs with the ball against Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mykal Walker during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel looks over plays during the first half of his game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White is brought down by the Atlanta Falcons defense during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White gets up after having his pass intercepted by Atlanta Falcons defensive back DeMarcco Hellams during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Atlanta Falcons defensive back DeMarcco Hellams celebrates after intercepting a pass from Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks with his quarterbacks during the second half of his game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa looks at the scoreboard during his game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins running back Chris Brooks runs with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson looks to throw against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson throws against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson is hit by Atlanta Falcons linebacker Arnold Ebiketie during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson, shown here being assisted off the ground, had a rough outing in Friday's preseason opener against Atlanta, but so did fellow quarterback Mike White. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson sits on the bench after a tough series against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023 in Miami Gardens. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
