There were good and bad things to come out of the Miami Dolphins' 24-24 tie vs. the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in their first preseason game of the summer.
On both sides of the spectrum, some things specifically stood out. Quarterback play remains a concern, but there were also several positives from the performance.
Here are the Dolphins' winners and losers from the game.
Dolphins' winners from preseason game vs. Bears
Tahj Washington and Malik Washington
Both Washington receivers showed out in Miami's opening preseason game, with Tahj Washington and Malik Washington totaling seven of the Dolphins' nine receptions in the first half. Tahj had three catches off of four targets for 53 yards, including a long of 34 yards to convert on a 3rd-and-10 to keep the drive alive that would lead to Miami's second score.
Malik, meanwhile, only totaled 18 yards receiving on four receptions, but all came on the Dolphins' opening drive, helping to move the chains. He also had one carry for six yards.
Malik's spot on the roster is fairly safe, while Tahj is still battling for one of Miami's final WR spots. He did an exceptional job of stating his case in the preseason opener.
Dolphins' first-team offense
The Dolphins' offense took a clear step back last year from what it was the two previous seasons. That's led to question how the unit will look in 2025 and will ultimately dictate if Miami is a playoff team or not.
At first glance, they came through. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa wasn't expected to play in the game, but according to the Bears' broadcast team, he asked head coach Mike McDaniel to start the game after the poor performance in the teams' joint practice on Friday.
"Chicago Bears TV broadcast reporting Tua implored McDaniel to allow him to play today. Dolphins TV broadcast said he will play one drive, which is proceeding swimmingly," Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald noted.
Tagovailoa went a modest 5-of-6 for 27 yards on the team's opening drive, helping to lead Miami down to Chicago's 1-yard line. The Dolphins wound up turning the ball over on downs, but the 54-yard, near-10-minute drive was encouraging.
Miami's two drives after that (without Tua) also went for 50-plus yards and resulted in scores, giving the Dolphins their first 14 points of the contest. Although they weren't impressive because of Zach Wilson (more on that later), they showed that Miami's receiving corps -- even without Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, both of whom sat out -- along with the running game, has the ability to move the ball.
Dee Eskridge's returns
Dolphins wide receiver Dee Eskridge didn't catch a pass against Chicago, but he stood out in Miami's return game on Sunday afternoon.
In the opening quarter, Eskridge returned an otherwise terrific 57-yard punt from Bears punter Tory Taylor 16 yards near midfield. He soon followed it up with a 41-yard kick return after Chicago scored its first touchdown.
Both returns resulted in scores for Miami. That is extremely important for a special teams unit that is trying to forget the Danny Crossman days as soon as possible.
If Eskridge wasn't already a lock for the Dolphins' roster before, he should be now. His ability as a returner is too valuable to pass up.
Dolphins' losers from preseason game vs. Bears
Dolphins' backup quarterbacks
Throughout training camp, reports have consistently been positive about how good the Dolphins' backup quarterbacks have been. Well, it didn't show in Miami's preseason opener.
Wilson finished the outing 5-of-9 for 96 yards, and if it hadn't been for a nice move by Tahj Washington and another deep pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, it would have looked much worse. He had two underthrows to his tight ends with open field in front of them. And while Wilson didn't finish the day with any turnovers, he dangerously threw what would have been a pick-six for Chicago if Terell Smith had held on.
Rookie Quinn Ewers, meanwhile, looked everything like a seventh-round QB. Ewers finished the day just 5-of-18 for 91 yards, and he had a costly fumble inside the Dolphins' 5-yard line that led to a Bears touchdown. He would later lose another fumble.
This outing by the Dolphins' backups will keep fans and analysts talking, but it won't be positive. Unfortunately, more questions than answers will arise after this one.
Miami's goal-line offense
The Dolphins did score three touchdowns on the day, so this one is a bit misleading. However, I want to stay focused on Miami's opening drives to state the point.
As noted in the quote from the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson above, the Dolphins' offense was moving "swimmingly" on the opening drive. However, moments later, that drive was stalled after four straight rushes in which the Dolphins couldn't punch it into the end zone.
Miami scored on the following possession from one yard out on its third attempt from that spot. However, it's important to note that running back Alexander Mattison did a fantastic job of reaching for the goal line to avoid what would have been another 4th-and-goal situation.
The Dolphins' struggles on the goal line and in short-yardage situations are well known, and the opening two drives didn't bring any comfort on that end. Yet, Mattison and rookie Ollie Gordon II both scoring from a yard out (Miami's bigger RBs) should put some fans at ease. However, time will tell if McDaniel continues leaning on smaller backs in these types of situations.
Dolphins' cornerbacks
We knew the Dolphins' cornerbacks were going to be a question mark going into this one, as they will be under a microscope throughout the season. But all this game did was give ammunition to the doubters and fuel the claims that more needs to be added to the group.
Outside of a Patrick McMorris interception that resulted from a deflection after good coverage from Ethan Bonner, there wasn't much to celebrate from Miami's secondary. Chicago's quarterbacks found a lot of success on the afternoon, and they didn't even have Caleb Williams.
Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum went a combined 21-of-29 for 183 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Keenum alone posted a 139.6 passer rating after going 8-of-10 with two scores.
Sure, Keenum did most of his damage against Miami's backups, but given the Dolphins' injury history and how that's already affected them this offseason (Elijah Campbell also left today's game with an injury), several of them could be starters sooner rather than later.
Nevertheless, Miami's CB room has been a mess this offseason, and it's only going to get worse when they go up against elite NFL starters. The Dolphins' coaching staff has been adamant that they like what they have in-house, but so far, they seem to be the only ones.