Dolphins stock report from Falcons game
Patrick Paul isn’t expected to get many opportunities in NFL games that matter his rookie season because he’s playing behind Terron Armstead, a Pro Bowl talent viewed as the anchor of the Miami Dolphins’ offensive line.
That might explain why the Dolphins had the Houston standout the team selected in the second round of the 20204 NFL draft on the field late into the fourth quarter.
Paul, who has spent all of training camp working with the second-team offense, got the starting nod because Kendall Lamm, a 10-year veteran, was held out of the first preseason game, right along all five of the team’s projected starting offensive linemen.
Armstead, who annually battles injuries, hasn’t played in a preseason game in years, so Paul was expected to get extensive work during the preseason.
Paul played admirably during Friday night’s game against the Falcons, consistently imposing his will against Atlanta’s defensive front.
The Dolphins ran behind Paul on many of the team’s bigger gains, and the rookie didn’t allow a sack in his NFL debut.
It’s possible that Paul’s snap count rose because of the injuries Miami’s offensive line suffered in the game, losing Kion Smith to what appears to be a knee injury. Smith began the game as Friday night’s starting left guard, but he’s typically used as a backup tackle.
TOP PERFORMER
Stock Up
Tight end Tanner Conner caught three of four passes thrown his way, and turned them both up field for extra yardage (70) before suffering what’s believed to be a leg injury in the third quarter, which ended his night. Let’s hope the injury isn’t too series because Conner’s play during training camp the past three weeks hits than he was ready to become a significant contributor on offense, helping the Dolphins capitalize on the two seasons Miami’s invested in the former receiver.
Jack Driscoll, who was initially added this offseason as a free agent to compete for the starting right guard spot, was pressing into duty as a center Friday night, playing a role he struggled with in training camp and didn’t have one bad snap. If Driscoll keeps this up Liam Eichenberg might get to continue working as the team’s starting right guard.
Stock Down
Malik Washington looked like a rookie who was thrown into the deep end of the pool in his first ever NFL game. The former Virginia standout the Dolphins selected in the fifth round of the 2024 draft fumbled a punt before recovering it. He caught one of the four passes thrown his way and turned it into 5-yards. He did gain 21 yards on an end around, showcasing the speed that enticed Miami to make him one of two receivers drafted this year.
Nik Needham could have allowed the Falcons to tie the game in the fourth-quarter when a punt hit his leg while trying to block the gunner for Washington’s return. The Falcons recovered the ball on Miami’s 20-yard line but Miami’s defense held, and Miami’s offense took over on downs. But Needham, a veteran special teams contributor, should know better. When you know better you do better.
TAKEAWAY FROM THE DAY
Anyone wondering why all of the Dolphins’ projected starters for the 2024 season didn’t play simply needs to look at the post game injury report for the preseason opener to understand why NFL coaches don’t expose critical personnel to more than a handful of controlled snaps to meaningless preseason games anymore.
That’s the reason why the number of joint practices teams conduct annually have risen. In joint practices players don’t go to the ground, the quarterbacks can’t be hit, and the collisions usually aren’t at full speed, like they are in games.
This story was originally published August 9, 2024 at 10:42 PM.
