The Miami Dolphins stormed out of the gate with a 14-play, 93-yard touchdown drive against the Washington Commanders, highlighted by a one-handed catch for 28 yards by rookie receiver Caleb Douglas.
Unfortunately for the Dolphins, that's where the domination ended on Friday night as the Commanders won 20-7 in a preseason opener dominated by players battling for a roster spot.
De'Von Achane ran 1 yard for the touchdown, capping a drive led by quarterback Malik Willis, who looked sharp in his debut.
Here are the takeaways:
As advertised: Malik Willis didn't play long, but didn't need to
Of course, all eyes were on new starter Willis.
Willis played only a series but made it count, completing four of five passes for 43 yards. More importantly,
he looked the part as the leader of the offense, throwing from the pocket and on the run.
Willis offers mobility that Tua Tagovailoa could not, and on one scramble he drew a horse-collar penalty to keep the drive alive.
He checked all the boxes, including finding two of his most-dependable receivers, Malik Washington and Douglas.
When he walked off, the Dolphins had a 7-0 lead.
His work was brief.
But his work was done.
Jeff Hafley a picture of calm on sideline
New coach Jeff Hafleywas a picture of calm despite this being the first time he was on an NFL sideline as a head coach.
Hafley has been preaching physicality and the Dolphins responded. They started with a penalty on the opening kickoff, then shook it off, driving 93 yards with the first-string offense.
The offensive line was dominant as coordinator Bobby Slowik’s attack moved the ball on the ground and in the air, setting up Achane’s touchdown.
Hafley’s patience was tested when Ollie Gordon II was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the third quarter. He walked over to Gordon on the sideline, put his hand on Gordon’s shoulder pads and asked what happened on the play. Gordon shook it off with a 13-yard run later in the game.
Unsung hero award after one exhibition? Why not?
Know who had a sneaky good night? GM Jon-Eric Sullivan, the other major hire from Green Bay.
His draft picks, as a whole, lived up to their billing in their NFL debuts.
It’s easy to focus on headline-grabbers Douglas at receiver and Jacob Rodriguez at linebacker, but if you didn’t let your eye take a gander at the 12th overall pick, Kadyn Proctor, you missed a strong performance by the 6-foot-7, 352-pounder who was moving people with regularity.
The play of rookies is huge after Sullivan jettisoned many of Miami's highly paid veterans, including Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill.
And let’s not forget he chose to reward De’Von Achane, Aaron Brewer and Jordyn Brooks with new deals, sending the ideal message to the team.
What’s up at backup QB?
Willis is Miami’s starting QB. Easy.
As the past several seasons have shown, backup QB is often one of your most important positions. Quinn Ewers had a decent rookie season last season and will be the backup (barring unforeseen circumstances) this year.
He has had moments in camp but he had a moment — not in a good way — against Washington.
His pass intended for Jalen Tolbert was intercepted by safety Quan Martin. It was such an easy play for Martin that you wonder if Tolbert wasn’t where Ewers expected him to be. But if Ewers was at fault, consider this a teaching moment. Especially with third-stringer Cam Miller having a bland camp and threw a bad interception late. (On this night, Miller could have used some support from his targets, who couldn't handle catchable balls.)
Ewers completed only one of eight passes. Together, he and Miller has almost as many interceptions (three) as they did completions (four).
Special teams concerns and other matters …
A concern for special teams coordinator Chris Tabor: The Commanders came close to blocking a couple of punts. But it’s unclear why Bradley Pinion didn’t draw a running into the kicker penalty on one. On the plus side, Tutu Atwell had a 20-yard punt return. And Tahj Washington downed a punt on the 2-yard line. … Linebacker Cameron Goode turned in a lively performance, including a sack. ... The Dolphins’ next preseason game will be Saturday, Aug. 22, at home against new coach John Harbaugh’s New York Giants. The finale is Aug. 28 vs. Atlanta, also at Hard Rock Stadium.
Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins takeaways: Good day for Malik Willis, Green Bay imports
