Miami Dolphins: Five players that will impact Sunday

The Miami Dolphins have a lot of questions surrounding them as they ready for their game in Los Angeles to kick-off their regular season.

Today the Miami Dolphins will take the football field for the first time in almost a month following the displacement from Hurricane Irma. Now with the team ready to face the Chargers later this afternoon, it’s time to look at key players that could impact today’s game.

Cameron Wake

Wake is a brutal force on the outside but today he needs to be a brutal force that relentlessly attacks Phillips Rivers. When Rivers is rattled he will make mistakes. This is where Wake can become disruptive. Wake doesn’t need to get sacks to create problems for the Chargers offense he needs to keep pressure and collapse the pocket. If he can do that, Rivers will have a long day.

Xavien Howard

Byron Maxwell is a question and if his pre-season was any indication, he may lose his starting job early in the season to Cordrea Tankersley. Howard however needs to take the big step forward because he could be the most valuable corner back on the roster especially if Maxwell can’t get out of his own head. Howard will have a tough day against solid Charger receivers on a team that likes to the throw the ball. Expect him to be tested often.

Laremy Tunsil

Tunsil will make his first non-injury replacment start in the NFL. Last year he held the job down when Branden Albert was out but it is all his now. Tunsil will face a tough challenge today against Melvin Ingram or Joey Bosa, both incredibly tough to block off the edge. If Tunsil can do his job then Jay Cutler will have time in the pocket to make plays.

Jay Ajayi

Will the Dolphins be more run or pass? That’s a valid question but Ajayi should be a threat in both areas and thus his value to the team will improve. Ajayi’s success today will also be an indication on how well or poorly the offensive line plays.

Jay Cutler

This is the real deal and now we get to see if all those years of Cutler making boneheaded plays was in part due to the personnel around him. In Miami he has very good receiver and a solid running back group but his offensive line could be a problem. How he manages the game will be as important as how well he manages his throws.

BONUS

Mike Hull

Hull earned the middle linebacker spot after the Dolphins lost Raekwon McMillan but can he have the impact that Miami got last year from Kiko Alonso? The entire linebacker group will be watched and scrutinized but none more than Hull.