Five Dolphins Preseason Takeaways From Exciting First Game
As preseason started this week for every NFL team there were things that everyone learned from the Miami Dolphins first game. What were five big takeaways from the Dolphins first preseason game in week one?
Every year there’s always a degree of overreaction from practices and preseason games. Many of the top talent players didn’t play for the Miami Dolphins on Saturday but there’s plenty of information to be taken from the game as far as depth pieces and the questionable roster spots both offensively and defensively. With both Teddy Bridgewater and Tua Tagovailoa out, it was Skylar Thompson‘s game on the offensive side with Cedrick Wilson Jr., Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden, and Mike Gesicki being his primary weapons for a limited amount of plays. Even with limited skill players playing I feel there were things to take away from the game.
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Preseason Takeaways From Miami Dolphins In Week One
First Takeaway
The defensive line depth is very good and deep. With Melvin Ingram, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Christian Wilkins all out, the defensive line depth was sure to be tested. It did not disappoint. They limited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an inept 2.8 yards per carry. They were often in Kyle Trask‘s face all game and sacked him twice. Those were great signs for things to come for this front.
Second Takeaway
The defensive back depth was the opposite unfortunately. It felt every throw going toward Noah Igbinoghene and D’Angelo Ross were massive blown coverage plays. Worst of all, practice breakout cornerback Trill Williams tore his ACL as he riled in pain toward the end of the game. The defensive back starters on this team are one of the best in the NFL but with injuries being a part of the game these issues are concerning and hopefully will be answered.
Third Takeaway
The offensive line struggles continue. As our defensive line performed well so did the Buccaneers. They didn’t generate a whole ample amount of time for Skylar Thompson to throw the ball and even worse they didn’t open any kind of gaps for the run game to move, which was a large focal point for first year head coach Mike McDaniel. The running backs averaged a putrid 2.18 yards per carry. This is an absolute must to be fixed before Week One and I’m certain this will be brought up in practice in the coming week.
Fourth Takeaway
Lynn Bowden clearly needs more opportunities to land a roster spot on this team. The versatile wide receiver had some amazing plays that burnt his defenders over and over again, getting one thing the Dolphins saw almost none of last year, separation. With Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Cedrick Wilson on this roster it’s clear that the fight for the four, five, and six spots are up for grabs and there was a lot of debate on who would be trade candidates before the roster cuts came. With Bowden’s name being high up on that list, I think this game has changed that narrative.
The Dolphins will have a decision to make on who to assign the last few spots on the depth chart between Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden, Trent Sherfield, Erik Ezukanma, River Cracraft, and newly acquired Mohamed Sanu. This is a lot of choices for such a few spots available and likely other teams will be watching us as well for trade opportunities.
Fifth Takeaway
Jason Sanders is back. After an ugly year last year of missing 25.8% of his field goal attempts, Sanders appears to be back to where he was his 2020 year hitting 92.3% of his attempts with 8 of those being over 50 yards. This aspect of the game was what many saw as the main reason the Miami Dolphins didn’t make the playoffs last year. Preseason or not, special teams is one of those things that is very important to be performed well in practice, in preseason, and in regular season games. This carrying over is essential for this team.
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