Five takeaways from the Dolphins’ 15-13 preseason loss to the Raiders
The Dolphins had many of their veterans see the field Saturday night after sitting out the preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Most starters played just a few series in the eventual 15-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium, as kicker Jason Sanders’ go-ahead field goal with 1:37 left hit the upright and fell short.
Here are five takeaways from the Dolphins’ second preseason game:
Tua was fine in his debut but the offense remains an unknown with top players sidelined.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his preseason debut Saturday night and played two series. He completed 6 of 8 passes for 58 yards and led the offense to a field goal on his second drive. His most impressive play was a third-down conversion in which he evaded the rush and found running back Chase Edmonds for a 17-yard gain. It was an efficient performance, one that fans have grown accustomed to in his first two seasons. But it was also one that was incomplete. His top receivers, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were held out, and so was left tackle Terron Armstead. With one preseason game remaining, it may be until Week 1 that the NFL world sees the Dolphins’ complete offense — for better or for worse.
The timing of the offense appeared off at times and there’s no doubt the addition of those three invaluable players will help out. But if they don’t see the field for the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, the question becomes whether they can accomplish enough in practice to be ready for the season opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 11.
The Dolphins’ already thin cornerback room was strained again.
What was already a tenuous situation for the Dolphins’ cornerback room almost reached a disastrous state in the second preseason game. The Dolphins once again sat Xavien Howard, giving the team’s young corners another chance to see a lot of playing time. But on the starting defense’s first drive, Noah Igbinoghene, who has struggled at times in training camp, was targeted early and often en route to a Raiders touchdown. On the second drive, Nik Needham exited the game with an apparent hand injury. And on the third, Keion Crossen left the game with an apparent injury.
Though Crossen re-entered the game and Needham appeared to avoid a serious injury, it was another reminder of how thin the team is getting at the position. Byron Jones’ return from offseason surgery continues to loom over the group. He remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list and was seen on the sideline with a black sleeve over his left leg. Head coach Mike McDaniel said he remains “hopeful” Jones is back for Week 1, which is now just three weeks away.
The offensive line didn’t do much to inspire confidence after a so-so debut.
When the Dolphins totaled just 49 yards in their preseason opener, they had legitimate reasons for the lack of success on the ground. Armstead and Connor Williams were given the night off. Hill, Waddle and Edmonds sat, too, empowering the Buccaneers to frequently stack eight players in the box. Though Armstead, Hill and Waddle were once again held out against Las Vegas, Williams and Edmonds played the first two series of the game. Again, the running game struggled to take off; the Dolphins totaled 3 rushing yards in the two drives with Tagovailoa and finished with 38 yards on 17 carries. After the game, McDaniel said he wasn’t concerned about the state of the rushing offense and Tagovailoa echoed those sentiments, saying the play calls were “basic” run plays that weren’t fully game-planned for the exhibition game. To the offensive line’s credit, they held up well in pass protection for the second straight week.
Mike Gesicki’s confusing role in McDaniel’s offense continued.
In the preseason opener, Gesicki was one of a few projected starters who played. He was on the field for nine snaps, caught one pass and blocked on a handful of plays before retiring to the sideline for the rest of the night. On Saturday night, Gesicki was on the field with his fellow starters — but played through the entire first half, well past when Tagovailoa and other starters were taken out. It was a rough half for Gesicki, who was targeted six times and caught three passes but appeared to have a few miscommunications. He also badly missed a block on a play that led to a safety for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. McDaniel took the blame for the play call on the safety, but the sequence once again highlighted the questions Gesicki faces in the scheme. Gesicki’s night did no favors to garner optimism about how he fits in the offense.
The Dolphins’ wide receiver depth showed again.
One week after Lynn Bowden Jr. broke out with a 55-yard, one-touchdown performance, rookies Erik Ezukanma and Braylon Sanders led the passing game. Ezukanma caught six passes for 114 yards, while Sanders caught three passes for 40 yards. Ezukanma, the team’s fourth-round pick, was especially impressive as a downfield threat, adjusting on an underthrown ball from quarterback Skylar Thompson to bring in a 34-yard reception. While Hill and Waddle will lead the receiving corps during the regular season, the Dolphins are well stocked at the position with depth that will serve them well in case of an injury. Ezukanma is a lock to make the team and Sanders, who had a strong start to training camp, continued his case to take one of the final receiver spots on the 53-man roster.
This story was originally published August 20, 2022 at 11:10 PM.
