How Miami Dolphins rookies fared in Week 1 and the veterans most affected by them
At several positions, the decision for Miami Dolphins coaches essentially has boiled down to rookie versus veteran. And that has left some rookies playing major roles early in the season while others play no game-day role at all.
Here’s how some of those decisions have evolved so far:
▪ Cornerback: Rookie Noah Igbinoghene’s strong training camp allowed the draft’s 30th overall pick to beat out second-year player Nik Needham for what’s essentially the No. 3 cornerback job behind Byron Jones and Xavien Howard.
So with Howard on a “pitch count” in the opener, it was Igbinoghene who received all of the suddenly available boundary snaps (37) while Needham got none.
The Dolphins love Igbinoghene’s athleticism, competitiveness and his knack for being around the ball.
Brian Flores said Needham has played well in practice. But his work last December fell off dramatically from his play earlier in the season, and he ultimately finished with a 116.6 opponent passer rating in his coverage area, with nine touchdowns relinquished and two interceptions. Miami opted for Jamal Perry over Needham in the slot in the opener.
Igbinoghene, in his debut, allowed two completions in two targets for 18 yards and a 104.2 passer rating in his coverage area, per Pro Football Focus.
▪ Safety: Not only did third-round pick Brandon Jones play 34 defensive snaps while ex-Cowboys veteran Kavon Frazier played none, but Jones also took some snaps from starter Eric Rowe, who was the NFL’s second-best safety in pass coverage after he moved there in mid-October. That decision paid dividends, with Jones finishing with 10 tackles and ranking third best as a run stopper among all Miami defenders on Sunday, per PFF.
Flores likes that Jones is “fast, aggressive [and] tackles well.” And he’s a diligent studier; before the draft, he prepared defensive handbooks on all 32 NFL teams.
Jones said he played a lot — including the start of the game — because the Dolphins used a couple of the packages that he’s a part of. “I was definitely up for the challenge,” he said.
Texas used him in several different roles, but with the Dolphins, “my role was in the box a lot. Just being able to see how fast the run develops was super surprising to me. I didn’t realize it happened that fast.”
▪ Defensive tackle: The Dolphins used second-round pick Raekwon Davis as the No. 3 defensive tackle instead of second-year player Zach Sieler, who was excellent in last year’s Week 16 win against the Bengals.
Davis played 27 snaps and was often overwhelmed in the run game; PFF said he was the fourth-worst interior defender of the 112 who appeared in a game in Week 1. It was telling that Miami went to Sieler late on New England’s game-sealing drive, but Sieler played just four defensive snaps.
Sieler could play more on Sunday against Buffalo if Davis struggles.
Miami found no role in Week 1 for rookie fifth-rounder Jason Strowbridge, who was inactive but can play end in a 4-3 or a 3-4 front and tackle in a 4-3. The fact Davis is 330 pounds and Strowbridge is 273 puts Davis in better position to earn playing time, because Miami needs a natural backup nose tackle behind Davon Godchaux.
▪ Receiver: Mack Hollins got the nod on Sunday for the fifth and final receiver spot on the 53-man roster — ahead of rookie third-rounder Lynn Bowden and rookie seventh-rounder Malcolm Perry — because of special teams value and experience.
Perry appears closer to helping in a game than Bowden, because the latter is still learning Miami’s system after his acquisition from Las Vegas. At the very least, either could help on a gadget play or Wildcat play.
▪ Offensive line: Rookie left tackle Austin Jackson — the 18th overall pick who comfortably beat out Julien Davenport in training camp — was excellent in pass protection in Week 1 but as a run blocker, PFF rated him 61st among 62 tackles who played in Week 1.
“The biggest thing I learned is probably the speed of the game picks up a little bit from practice to the actual game,” Jackson said. “There’s still a lot of things I need to get better at.”
PFF said rookie fourth-rounder/starting right guard Solomon Kindley was the 20th-best guard in football in Week 1, better than highly paid Zack Martin (Dallas) and Brandon Scherff (Washington), among others.
Kindley beat out not only fellow rookie Robert Hunt, but also last year’s starting left guard (Michael Deiter, who’s now a center) and two players cut before the season started: Danny Isidora and Shaq Calhoun. Teammate Ereck Flowers was 49th in PFF’s guard rankings.
▪ Elsewhere: Unlike in Week 1, rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa wasn’t on the injury report this week because he’s no longer getting treatment on his surgically-repaired hip; the Dolphins say he’s healthy and was in command of everything mentally as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup in the opener…
Though the Dolphins invested a sixth-round pick in rookie long snapper Blake Ferguson, it raised eyebrows that Miami not only signed a long snapper to their 17-player practice squad (Matt Orzech), but this week designated Orzech as one of four players that cannot be poached by another team.
NOTABLE
Linebacker Elandon Roberts remains in concussion protocol and missed practice for a second day in a row…. Cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, receiver DeVante Parker and safety Clayton Fejedelem remained limited in practice on Thursday due to injuries... Flores declined to explain why linebacker Kyle Van Noy played only 41 of 64 defensive snaps in the opener, but cautioned: “I wouldn’t take one game and try to put guys into buckets as far as every-down players or situational players,... especially in this type of season.”
Here’s more of what Brian Flores discussed in his Thursday press conference.
Here’s my Thursday 6-pack of Miami Hurricanes nuggets.
This story was originally published September 17, 2020 at 2:05 PM.
