The Miami Dolphins closed out their preseason schedule on Friday night, losing to the Atlanta Falcons in South Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins played well for much of the game, at least well enough to not be blown out like they were in their first two preseason games.
Miami did not play their starters in the game, giving the roster bubble, depth, and developmental players a bigger opportunity to make their final pitch for a roster spot. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they now finish the preseason
without a win in three tries.
Next on the NFL calendar are roster cuts, which are due by 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. Waiver claims and practice squad signings will happen early next week, then the team will start their preparations for the regular season. Miami opens the season on September 13 at the Las Vegas Raiders.
Final Score
Falcons 17 – 12 Dolphins
Dolphins second-team defense stands up to Falcons starters
Miami elected to sit all of their starters for this game, using the final preseason game as a chance to get an extended look at the depth players one last time before cutdown day on Sunday. The Falcons played their starters, using the game to tune up the first team and prepare for the regular season. A philosophical coaching difference put a tough task in front of Miami’s second-team defense – but they stepped up to the test.
After Miami punted to end the opening drive of the game, the Falcons were able to drive down the field and score on a three-yard run from Brian Robinson, Jr., but the Miami defense stiffened after that.
After Miami kicked a field goal, Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, making his return to South Florida after six seasons with the Dolphins, fumbled the first snap of Atlanta’s second drive, with Miami linebacker Willie Gay, Jr., recovering. Miami was unable to score on the resulting possession, having a long field goal attempt blocked, but the defense again made something happen. On a 1st and 10 from the Miami 18-yard line, linebacker Tyrel Dodson hit Robinson on the ball and forced a fumble, with linebacker Jackson Woodard falling on the loose ball.
The first quarter ended during Miami’s possession and the Falcons pulled their first team on the next possession. Atlanta’s starters were only able to score a touchdown on three drives against Miami’s second-team defense, with the Dolphins getting two takeaways during the period. Tagovailoa finished the game 7-for-8 for 95 yards, 59 of them to tight end Kyle Pitts who had a 37 yard gain on the opening drive, and Robinson picked up 15 yards on five carries, including the touchdown push, so it was not perfect. But, overall, Miami’s second defense was able to stand up against the Falcons’ first-team offense.
Special teams could be key to making or missing the roster
Making an impact on special teams is an easy way to stand out among the crowd of players hoping to make it to the 53-man roster. Cornerback Ethan Bonner, who is likely already locked onto the roster, was flying downfield on the first punt from the team – he overran the tackle, but he was moving out there. Cameron Goode was in on the tackle on that punt, and he likely needs to get noticed on special teams to claim a roster spot.
Wide receiver Jalen Reagor had one catch for 17 yards for his offensive production, but his return work on kicks and punts is what makes him likely to stick around this year. He had one punt return for 10 yards and he returned three kicks for 96 yards, giving him a 32-yard average; his long return was 46 yards.
On the other end of the spectrum, punter Bradley Pinion continues to make me nervous for the season. Miami is going to need its punter to be consistent and a field-position-changing weapon, and Pinion has not been that this summer. He has some good kicks, but he shanks them just as often. After the Preseason Week 1 game against the Washington Commanders, I wrote, “Punter Bradley Pinion is a concern, with some of his kicks tonight seeming off. He may work off the rust and be ready by the regular season, but his performance tonight didn’t instill confidence.” Nothing tonight changed any of those concerns. I would not be surprised if the Dolphins start shopping for a punter – and given the adventure that was field goal attempts tonight, breaking up the long snapper to punter/holder to the kicker battery is not going to be a major issue.
Chris Bell makes impact
Rookie wide receiver Chris Bell, who was on the non-football injury list for much of the summer as he recovered from an ACL tear he sustained in his final year at Louisville, made his debut with the Dolphins on Friday night. He was targeted often early in the game, catching two passes for 22 yards.
The coaches rightfully got him out of the game fairly quickly, giving him just enough time to take some hits and play at the NFL speed, but then got him to the sideline and protected him for the regular season. It was a solid debut for the receiver.
Miami is proving to be allergic to the endzone
The Dolphins scored a touchdown on the opening drive of their first preseason game, the only drive the Miami starters played this summer. Miami did not score again in that game. Last week, they kicked a second-quarter field goal, their only points in the game. This week, they had a field goal in each quarter.
The Dolphins cannot find the end zone. Hopefully, their allergy to touchdowns is only a depth issue and not something the starters have developed as well.
Quarterback Mark Gronowski at least created a discussion
The Miami Dolphins will likely head into the regular season with Malik Willis as the starting quarterback and Quinn Ewers as the backup. Cam Miller started the game, then gave way to Mark Gronowski for the second half. Both players are likely to be waived in the roster cuts that are coming, but Miami could consider bringing one back to the practice squad – and Gronowski made an argument that he could stick around as a developmental option.
The undrafted rookie finished 4-for-8 for 97 yards, giving him a 94.3 passer rating. That is fine, but it was his ability to run for chunk yardage that could make him an interesting project. He rushed four times for 28 yards and looked fast. He may not stick around, especially since the Dolphins already cut him once this summer only to bring him back when Ewers was injured, but there might be enough there to warrant a practice squad spot.
