Dolphins stock report: Who’s rising and falling after final preseason game?
The Dolphins concluded their first preseason under head coach Mike McDaniel with a 48-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night. The two teams opted for different strategies in the finale; McDaniel had his starters play multiple series in the first quarter, while Eagles coach Nick Sirianni gave most of his starters the night off. The Dolphins now move on to cutting the roster to 53 players ahead of the NFL’s 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline.
Here is who is rising and falling after the Dolphins’ final preseason game.
Rising
▪ Dolphins passing game: Context is required: the Eagles were fielding very few players who are expected to see extensive playing time in Week 1. Regardless, with wide receiver Tyreek Hill making his preseason debut, the Dolphins offense morphed from efficient to explosive. It began on the first play of the game when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa launched a 51-yard pass to Hill, who was able to make the sliding catch with two defenders on him. One play later, Tagovailoa found Hill on a crossing route for a 13-yard gain. The drive ended two plays later with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Tagovailoa to wide receiver River Cracraft. Hill’s night concluded after that drive.
Again, the Eagles were playing essentially their B team. But it was about as good of a tune-up as you could have gotten from Tagovailoa and the starting offense before the regular-season opener on Sept. 11. Three series for the first-team offense resulted in 17 points. Tagovailoa completed 6 of 7 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, registering a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
▪ Elijah Campbell: The third-year defensive back recorded his second interception of the preseason, picking off quarterback Reid Sinnett and taking it 30 yards for a touchdown. Maybe even a better sign for his roster chances: Campbell had a short night, only playing 11 defensive snaps. The Dolphins have been searching for a backup safety behind Jevon Holland, Brandon Jones and Eric Rowe all summer, and Campbell may have secured the spot.
▪ River Cracraft: The veteran pass-catcher was on the receiving end of Tagovailoa’s touchdown pass and finished the game with a team-high four catches for 54 yards. If the Dolphins opt to keep six receivers, Cracraft is on the shortlist of players to make the team. If not, he’s a reliable reserve receiver the Dolphins could add to the practice squad. McDaniel has the familiarity with Cracraft back from the San Francisco 49ers.
▪ Running back options: After totaling 86 rushing yards in their first two preseason games, the Dolphins more than doubled that with 203 yards on Saturday. Raheem Mostert’s 26-yard run on the offense’s second series was the longest of the preseason but the Dolphins got steady contributions from a number of backs. Sony Michel scored on a 1-yard run and Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed and Gerrid Doaks all rushed for at least 30 yards. Whether the Dolphins take three or four backs into the season, they’ll have capable players at the bottom of the depth chart — and possibly on the practice squad.
Falling
▪ Kion Smith: The second-year tackle got extensive playing time in the first two preseason games but Greg Little was inserted into the starting lineup for Terron Armstead, and Smith didn’t see his first offensive snap until the middle of the third quarter. Though Larnel Coleman has mainly played left tackle the first two preseason games, he came into the game for Austin Jackson at right tackle, not Smith. It appears Smith didn’t do enough to unseat Little for the swing tackle position or overtake Coleman on the depth chart.
▪ Preston Williams: The talented but oft-injured receiver was viewed as a long shot to make the 53-man roster from the beginning of training camp but likely ended his Dolphins tenure unceremoniously. Williams muffed a punt in the third quarter that led to the Eagles’ first points of the night. He finished the game with zero catches on one target.
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 10:04 PM.
