The Miami Dolphins will host the Atlanta Falcons in Friday's final game of the preseason, where certain players will state their final cases to be included on the initial 53-man roster.
There are three Dolphins players in particular who signed one-year prove-it deals in free agency and have failed to hold up their end of the bargain in training camp. So for all the hoopla around Tua Tagovailoa that'll be attached to this game, once he exits the field, the real focus will be on who can survive Miami's ongoing roster purge.
And I say "ongoing" because I'd assume the Fins will prioritize youth over experience on the back end of the roster. That could be bad news for the following trio of newcomers.
These 3 veterans could be looking for work without a big game in the Miami Dolphins preseason finale
Terrace Marshall Jr. has failed to stand out in an underwhelming receiving corps
Not gonna lie, I was bullish on Tutu Atwell when he signed in Miami. Alas, it didn't work out, as the Dolphins traded Atwell back to the Rams for running back Jarquez Hunter. Despite Atwell's diminutive frame and inability to live up to the hype in LA, there was reason to believe his elite speed would play well with cannon-armed Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis. Turns out, not so much.
And now, Terrace Marshall Jr. is the next man up. Once upon a time, he was the No. 3 wide receiver at LSU behind Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Like Atwell, Marshall was a second-round pick, yet he finds himself behind rookie third-round pick Caleb Douglas on the depth chart. Many viewed Douglas as a massive reach in the draft. Marshall is listed ahead of Theo Wease Jr. as of now, though.
The Atwell trade is a massive break for Marshall, who has only one catch for nine yards in the preseason thus far. That's more a reflection of Miami's dreadful backup quarterback play, but Marshall could really use a monster performance on Friday.
Chris Bell is smashing his timeline to return from an ACL injury, which shrinks Miami's wiggle room at wide receiver even more.
Nevertheless, it seemed like Marshall was on the outside looking in prior to Atwell's departure. All of a sudden, he has a puncher's chance — and therefore a lot to lose versus Atlanta.
David Ojabo can't seem to find his stride
Like Atwell, David Ojabo is a past second-round pick who hails from another great franchise in the Baltimore Ravens. A torn Achilles during his pre-draft Michigan pro day prevented Ojabo from being a first-rounder, and honestly, he's never quite been the same.
Ojabo only appeared in five games in his first two seasons with the Ravens. He got far more run in the ensuing two years, but it wasn't enough for Baltimore to retain him in free agency.
The Dolphins seemed like a perfect fit. They had a dire need on the edge of their defensive line. Ojabo could easily come in and make an impact on pure talent alone, right? Nah, not really.
Although he's generated four pressures on 39 pass rush snaps by PFF's count, Ojabo has had a quiet training camp. Very little buzz on him whatsoever. Not a good sign, especially considering the dire state of Miami's backup offensive line and the swing tackle situation in particular.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. is not the answer at safety (and it's no surprise)
When the early offseason depth chart had Lonnie Johnson Jr. at the top of the Dolphins' safety group, I was rather stunned. Per PFF's data, Johnson has allowed a 120.9 passer rating and has an 18.9% missed tackle rate for his NFL career.
Does it get any worse in pro football as far as safety play is concerned? I can't imagine that it does. Find me a safety who's as statistically poor in coverage and at tackling as Johnson. I bet you'll be searching for a while.
It's just kind of amazing that Johnson keeps getting opportunities to play. Like, congrats for making it to the NFL and seeing some action, my guy, but SHEESH. WOOF.
Guess when Johnson was drafted? Yup. In the second round. By the Houston Texans. They stuck with him for three years before deciding they'd seen enough.
Remember that Texans playoff collapse against the Chiefs? Yeah, Johnson was a major culprit in Houston blowing that 24-0 lead. But Kansas City traded for him that May before the ensuing season, only to waive him in August.
How funny is that? Not funny for Lonnie.
OK, I'm done beating up on the guy. He's a phenomenal athlete who could fold me like a chair if he wanted to. Unfortunately, he's similar to Dolphins cornerback Marco Wilson in that he has exceptional physical tools, yet for whatever reason, can't apply them to be a productive NFL player.
If Johnson can't hack it in this Miami safety room, I'm not sure his career ceiling has much of a chance to extend beyond bouncing around different practice squads for the next season or two.
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