3 concerns coming out of Dolphins preseason game against Commanders

It was nice to watch the Miami Dolphins again for the second week in a row. On the other side, some angsty patterns and potential truths about the 2024 Miami Dolphins have been illuminated even more than they were.

It was the second preseason game of the year. I'm not 100% sure if that means this was the dress rehearsal week or not.

Because it was a preseason game, the concerns can ultimately be chalked up to exactly that. It's a preseason game, and tons of players didn't play for many reasons, so trying to get anything concrete out of the contest could be considered a waste of time.

However, a few things that don't look good now can easily bleed into the regular season.

There isn't enough time left to rectify some of the plain-as-day issues plaguing this team. We're two weeks from opening day, and the time to fix some of these problems was months ago.

Plenty of positives came out of last night and this team can still compete for the division and more. They just need to get a hold of some of these issues, if they can.

Glaring issues the Dolphins must fix before the regular season begins

The backup quarterback position

Phin Phanatic's Brian Miller touched on this in his postgame fallout. If Tua Tagovailoa goes down, the Dolphins are in trouble. He isn't alone in thinking this.

Skylar Thompson has regressed since his rookie year. When the pocket is clean, why can't he rip it into the end zone? He just won't do it. It's maddening.

Mike White didn't fare much better, although he didn't have an actual running back at his disposal and the fumble he made was due to Patrick Paul whiffing on his man.

The point remains: If Tua is not in there, the Dolphins are in trouble.

But that is a major drawback when you design an offense for only one guy to run it. That's what Mike McDaniel has done. Well, this is the other side of it. This offense is so specific that only a few people on the planet can run it the way it's supposed to be.

There's not much that can be done about it now. Go trade for a Case Keenum-type quarterback or wait for someone to get released?

The Dolphins are instantly doomed if Tua goes down.

The short-yardage problem

It's important not to overreact to specific preseason situations, but this one has been obvious since McDaniel got here.

We saw McDaniel make a conscious effort to feed Mostert in short-yardage situations, and it didn't work. Mostert did convert a 4th-and-1 but on all the other attempts, his offensive line was pushed into him.

The offensive line is the problem.

The starting line featured players who will be out there on September 8. Robert Jones and Liam Eichenberg may be starting against Jacksonville. And Kendall Lamm, well, we know he'll eventually be playing at some point.

Get ready for more passes on 3rd-and-short, like on the touchdown to River Cracraft. It's great when it works but maddening when it doesn't.

The injury problems continue

Players sitting out due to minor injuries aren't the concern. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey, and Terron Armstead are fine not playing.

But when you see rookie Jaylen Wright not suiting up, it doesn't make anyone feel good about things.

Then, you watch the game and see that the Dolphins can't go four plays without someone getting up slow or limping.

River Cracraft catches a beautiful touchdown from Tua, and, like clockwork, you hear that he's going into the locker room. Chris Brook rips off a sensational 59-yard run, gets hurt on the next play and doesn't return. Cam Smith puts together a solid outing but comes up holding his already-injured hamstring. Jordyn Brooks and David Long Jr. both left the field and didn't return.

Would some of these guys come back if it were a real game? Maybe. But I just can't shake the feeling that we're going to be seeing a laundry list of players rotating in because starters keep getting injured.

More Dolphins news and analysis