In the Miami Dolphins' first preseason game against the Washington Commanders, there wasn't much to get excited about after they marched down the field with their starting offense for a touchdown to start the game. The 20-7 loss was rather discouraging for the backup players looking to make their mark, but preseason Week 2 was an opportunity to flip the script.
Yeah...about that.
With the majority of the Dolphins' expected starters being given the day off, it looked ugly for Miami from start to finish in the 26-3 loss at the hands of the New York Giants. It wasn't all terrible, but the lack of quality depth on this team is painfully obvious. That is to be expected when over half of your cap space is being spent on players who aren't on the roster. Still, the takeaways from the loss should concern fans who want to see Miami be competitive in 2026.
Offensive issues headline key takeaways from Miami Dolphins preseason loss to the Giants
Dolphins better hope Malik Willis stays healthy
With Quinn Ewers nursing a groin injury, second-year quarterback Cam Miller got the start. While he looked better than he did in his dreadful two-interception showing a week ago, he still failed to show much of anything that would suggest he is ready to be more than a practice squad player.
Rookie QB Mark Gronowski got his first snaps with the Dolphins after being cut prior to last week's game, and he managed one entire yard on five pass attempts. Yes, one yard. The Dolphins receivers didn't help out their QBs very much, to be fair, but only 52 net passing yards on 16 combined attempts is about as bad as it gets.
Dolphins' backup offensive line is far from NFL quality
Offensive line depth is hard to come by in the NFL, even when you don't have the limited resources Miami is working with. Still, Miami may have the largest gap in talent between its starting five and its backup unit in the entire NFL.
With Jamaree Salyer out for the season, Miami is banking on the likes of Charlie Heck, Caedan Wallace, and Andrew Meyer to step in if called upon. Wallace has looked like the best of the bunch through two preseason games, which is saying something considering he was about to be cut by the Patriots before Miami struck a deal to land him. I would be scouring the waiver wire next week during cuts if I were general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Dolphins' veteran receiver additions are in danger of being sent packing
The QB play this preseason hasn't exactly helped them, but free agent signings Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert have failed to stand out in both practice and in the first two preseason contests. Atwell, in particular, looked like he isn't long for this roster with his performance against New York.
He was targeted just two times, and he dropped both of them. Tolbert wasn't even targeted in the game at all, but at least he didn't even have the chance to make a mistake, I suppose? The duo has been targeted just six total times thus far, with Tolbert's 27-yard reception from Quinn Ewers being the only play either has made. It's a good thing the rookies have made their mark.
Penalties continued to hurt the Dolphins
Head coach Jeff Hafley has made it very clear that he will not tolerate excessive mistakes, especially unforced errors like pre-and-post snap penalties. After seven penalties in preseason Week 1, Hafley's group committed eight more against the Giants on Saturday. It was a mix of holding plays that brought back their only long runs of the game, and some calls against the secondary as they tried to stay attached to their matchups.
If Miami is going to competitive in 2026, they simply cannot afford to be the less disciplined team.
The secondary remains a major question mark
What the Dolphins' secondary will actually look like by the time Week 1 rolls around is still a question mark, but the results in their first two preseason games have not inspired much confidence. Even if presumed starting outside corner JuJu Brents is ready to go for Week 1, he doesn't exactly help quell concerns about the unit with his injury history.
The backup cornerback play in this game was far from ideal, as Jameis Winston carved up the Dolphins with just one expected starting receiver out there with him in Darius Slayton. Hafley better hope that he can work his magic on this secondary quickly, or else it could be hard to watch Miami defend the pass this year.
Tackling was a challenge for the Dolphins all day
The Giants were able to create plenty of open looks for their receivers and backs on Saturday, but the Dolphins made it easier on them by struggling to finish plays before they could do more damage. There were multiple plays where it seemed like they had ball carriers bottled up, but they would manage to find a way out or add a few extra yards after contact.
The Dolphins aren't going to out-talent many, if any, of their opponents this season, but they can at least try to out-physical them. That hasn't shown up on the field yet, unfortunately.
The running game was nowhere to be found
The offense as a whole accomplished next to nothing on the day, but the running game was somehow more disappointing than the passing game. Miami earned just 50 yards on 18 attempts, with over a third of that production coming on a 17-yard scramble by Cam Miller.
The running backs combined for just 23 yards on 14 carries for an abysmal 1.6 yards pr attempt. As I mentioned earlier, there were a few runs called back by penalty that would have made those numbers look better, but there in excusing such lackluster production.
The Dolphins' starters should have played at least a few series
This one is less about the game itself and more about questioning the decision to sit most of the team's starters. Sure, it's clearly a necessity to keep the starters for this team upright, as I have very thoroughly laid out in my takeaways from this game. However, I can count on one hand the number of players who have earned the benefit of the doubt that they can be ready to go Week 1 without more reps.
Even if the starting offense and defense played the first quarter before exiting stage left, maybe the game would have had a different feel to it compared to the slog it ended up being. I certainly hope we get to see the full starting lineup get out there next week against the Falcons.
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