There are five, maybe six spots at the most, up for grabs in the Miami Dolphins' wide receiver room. We can already give four of those spots to the three rookies and Malik Washington. That leaves one, or maybe two, spots open, and Jalen Tolbert could have one locked down after this weekend.
This week, Dolphins fans are not likely to see Chris Bell. If he plays at all, expect him to run a couple of routes to get a feel for the speed of the game, but it isn't likely he gets targeted. Miami will run out their starters for a series or two before giving the game over to their backups.
That is where the competition begins. The Dolphins have 12 receivers on the roster; half of them will be released after their preseason finale, if not sooner.
No time like the present for Miami Dolphins WR room competiton to take center stage
The Dolphins have to have a better game from their backup quarterbacks, or there won't be much to see from the receivers who need to make a statement this week and next.
Everything filters in a circle at the NFL level. The offensive line protects the quarterback; without them, the WRs can't get the ball. If the WRs are not getting open, more pressure falls on the offensive line to keep the QB upright. Down, set, repeat.
Last week wasn't pretty for the Dolphins offense against the Commanders, at least not after the ones took a seat after their first drive. Against the Giants, it will once again be in the hands of the backup linemen, the quarterbacks, and the wide receivers to keep the circle flowing. And jobs are, of course, on the line.
Perhaps there is no bigger battle than the one between Terrace Marshall and TuTu Atwell. We have alluded to this previously, and probably will again. It's a razor-thin competition at the moment, but that doesn't mean someone else won't step in. There is, after all, still time.
The Marshall/Atwell competition likely won't end until after preseason week three, but week two may separate them from these other receivers hoping to stick around with a chance to steal a spot.
Theo Wease, Jr. has been disappointing. In 2025, his name was mentioned a lot during camp; this year, it's been too quiet. His chances of making the 53 are all but nil, but what he is pushing for now is a practice squad spot. A bad game against the Giants, and he will only make it tougher.
Jalen Reagor should have jumped into the offense and made a statement, but instead, he has had an inconsistent but sometimes productive camp. He could steal a roster spot from Marshall or Atwell, and a good second week of preseason could give him that shot heading into week three.
A.J. Henning is the outlier in all of this. He has had a good camp, made some good plays, and has chemistry with all of the quarterbacks, but Henning is deep on the depth chart and facing tough competition in front of him. He is going to need a couple of players to have bad games to make the roster.
Tahj Washington will soon be another name added to the list of Chris Grier draft picks that didn't last long. I would suspect he makes it back on the practice squad. Washington put up some good routes and tape in preseason week one; another week will keep him in the chase. A long shot? Absolutely, but any shot is still a shot.
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