5 things to watch for in Dolphins preseason game vs. the Falcons
The Dolphins’ first preseason game against the Chicago Bears was an important milestone for the team’s rookies, their first taste of NFL action. The team’s second regular-season warm-up, against the visiting Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, will be just as important.
It will serve as the first time playing at Hard Rock Stadium for the rookies, as well as other first-time Dolphins, before the team’s home opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 19. Dolphins coach Brian Flores said the team would go through a walk-through to simulate arriving at the stadium and going into the locker room to get a feel for everything before game day.
“I’m excited to get back into our home stadium. I’m excited to see the fans, for sure,” Flores said Thursday morning. “I think that was the first thing that came to mind, especially with last year. We had fans but it was capped at maybe 13 or 14,000. I think compared to some other places it felt like it was 113,000. I’m excited to play in front of our fans. I think we have a great fan base, a supportive fan base and we are excited to get in front of them. We love feeling their support and I would say that’s the No. 1 thing.”
Here are five things to watch for when the Dolphins play the Falcons on Saturday night.
Which starters will play and how much?
With the NFL pivoting from four preseason games to three, teams are taking different approaches to playing time for their starters. The third preseason game is usually regarded as a dress rehearsal before the regular season, but coaches might have reservations about putting their starters in harm’s way two weeks before the start of the season.
Before Thursday’s joint practice with the Falcons, Flores said he expected “most guys” to play Saturday. Cornerback Xavien Howard, who didn’t play in the preseason opener, said he would be on the field. Flores didn’t answer how much his starters would play, saying he would meet with his coaching staff Thursday night to sort out snaps. Notable players who sat out the first preseason game include Howard, cornerback Byron Jones and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah. Rookies Jaelan Phillips and Liam Eichenberg also did not play because of injuries but returned to practice this past week and could make their NFL debuts. Players such as wide receivers Will Fuller, Albert Wilson, and DeVante Parker, who continue to be sidelined by injury, are not expected to play Saturday.
Can Tua limit his mistakes?
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s first NFL preseason game was generally a success, aside from a bad red-zone interception that Flores said was correctable. Tagovailoa was decisive, showed good pocket awareness and connected with tight end Mike Gesicki on a 50-yard catch-and-run that exemplified the offense’s commitment to generate more explosive pass plays in 2021. In three series, Tagovailoa completed eight of 11 pass attempts for 99 yards and his interception.
Tagovailoa was solid in the two joint practices against Atlanta, making the most of an offensive line that’s still working to come together and a receiving corps that’s missing three of its top players. He did throw an interception during 11-on-11 drills but typically took care of the ball. The first-team offense failed to get into the end zone during two-minute drills to conclude practice Wednesday and Thursday and the unit had similar red-zone troubles against the Bears. An opportunity to rectify those issues Saturday would be beneficial for a young offense.
“I think their [defensive coordinator] does a great job and their defense overall, they do a great job disguising looks,” Tagovailoa said after Wednesday’s practice. “They have a lot of good players on their team. They do a great job communicating what they want to do and what they want to accomplish. I think today, for us offensively, we’ve got to be a lot better operationally. Getting on the ball quicker, seeing what the defense is giving us and playing. If you look at their two-minute drive, I think that they did a really good job from an operational standpoint. That’s something that we can also look at and continue to learn and grow not just on our side of the ball, but both sides of the ball.”
Does the offensive line take a step forward?
The first preseason game showed signs of growth — and potential growing pains — with an offensive line primarily relying on first- and second-year players. The unit provided perfect protection for Tagovailoa on his 50-yard pass to Gesicki but was unable to get a solid push up front on back-to-back running plays on the goal line later in the drive.
During joint practices, the offensive line struggled at times with a defensive front led by two-time Pro-Bowl defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. The unit fared better on Thursday and also had a switch-up along the line. Solomon Kindley replaced Eichenberg at left guard, seemingly the only roster battle along the offensive line. Kindley started at left guard in the first preseason game because Eichenberg was recovering from a shoulder injury. Eichenberg spent time Thursday with the second team at right tackle, the position he started training camp at before the move inside. Whoever gets the start Saturday will be noteworthy.
Which of the remaining healthy receivers steps up?
The Dolphins suffered another blow to its group of receivers, as Lynn Bowden Jr. left Thursday’s practice early with an apparent right leg injury after taking a hard fall as he completed a catch. The extent of Bowden’s injury is unknown but his absence left Tagovailoa throwing to a group that included first-round pick Jaylen Waddle, Jakeem Grant and bubble players Mack Hollins and Malcolm Perry by the end of the practice.
Tagovailoa could very well find himself throwing to these same names on his first drive Saturday. He and Flores have downplayed a potential issue with continuity while many of the team’s top receivers continue to sit out practices. While the legitimacy of their beliefs can be disputed, Saturday will provide an opportunity for players such as Hollins and Perry to stake their claims for making the 53-man roster. Hollins was a frequent target of Tagovailoa during the joint practices, catching red-zone touchdowns in back-to-back days.
Can the first-team defense get another shutout?
Even without its starting cornerbacks and Ogbah, the team leader in sacks last season, the Dolphins defense had no issue with the Bears’ first-team offense, holding it to back-to-back three-and-outs. In fact, Chicago didn’t get a first down until under a minute left in the first half.
The defense that takes the field Saturday is much more likely to resemble the one that will be together for the season opener against the New England Patriots. The unit had a competitive back-and-forth in the pair of practices against Atlanta, which included a disruptive Ogbah coming off the edge for a called sack to end a Falcons hurry-up drive and an interception by cornerback Jamal Perry to end another.
“I feel like the sky is the limit for us on the defensive side,” Howard said.
Dolphins activate LB from COVID list, waive CB
The Dolphins on Friday activated linebacker Sam Eguavoen from the reserve/COVID-19 list, two days after he landed on the list and missed the pair of joint practices with the Atlanta Falcons. Eguavoen, who is on the roster bubble, played 30 defensive snaps and nine special teams snaps in the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, recording one tackle.
In a corresponding move, the Dolphins waived cornerback Terrell Bonds. The team signed Bonds, a Miami High Central alum, to a reserve/futures contract in January. Bonds played 20 defensive snaps and four special teams snaps against the Bears but didn’t make it onto the stat sheet.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
