I can’t believe we’re already here, but sure enough, the football season’s first tease is Preseason Game 1. There’s not really a lot of substance one can garner from a preseason game, but as always, this is an opportunity for some players to give themselves a chance to solidify a roster spot. Most of the starters will not be playing, and if they do, it will be a short time, maybe a series or less. QB Tua Tagovailoa who was just paid a mint will not partake in this game, so it will be Mike White and Skylar Thompson at the helm. There will be many roster decisions to make when the final cutdown to 53 happens, and the QB battle could be one of those. If they decide to carry only 2 QB’s on the roster, then White and Thompson are essentially fighting for the backup job. The Dolphins chose to carry 3 Qb’s last season, but due to the heavy rotation on the D-line, and the necessity to carry a number of backups on the O-line, carrying 3 QB’s may not be a luxury the Dolphins can afford.

So who are the players to watch? That depends on who you talk to, but there are a few I look forward to seeing, and a few others who I hope have a good showing to make the roster. I’ll start on the offensive side of the ball. RB Jaylen Wright should see a decent amount of touches and it would be wonderful to see him shine. Starter Raheem Mostert, who bulked up 15 lbs last season and had a career best. I can assure you the Dolphins aren’t going to overuse the 32 year old running back, despite having a year any NFL RB would love to have, over 1000 yards rushing, a nice 4.8 YPC average, and of course 18 rushing TD’s. De’Von Achane is a HR hitter but also a guy who already early in his career has struggled to stay healthy. Achane trailed Mostert by only 212 yards with less than half the carries (103) to (209) for Mostert. Still, Achane only appeared in 11 games due to injuries. Therefore, it’s so important that rookie Jaylen Wright shows the Dolphins he can assume either role if necessary.

Other players to watch on the offensive side is basically anyone and everyone on the offensive line. While most won’t be starting, we saw last year how often the backups were pressed into service, so believe me, this counts. For position players, TE Julian Hill has been drawing lots of attention in camp, both as a blocker and receiver, so I would like to see him give us a glimpse of that. Rookie WR Malik Washington is buried on the depth chart, but a strong showing in the preseason could elevate him. Veteran WR’s Braxton Berrios and River Cracraft both have a leg up as they have so much experience, both with Mike McDaniel and of course the Dolphins offense. I don’t believe WR Erik Ezukanma is healthy, and if that’s the case and he’s unable to play, I fear his chances of making the roster are slipping away.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are quite a few guys I really want to watch. OLB Quinton Bell who’s been a hot topic all throughout training camp while impressing reporters and coaches alike. Of course rookie OLB Chop Robinson and rookie OLB Mo Kamara are guys I want to see playing well. Despite many signs pointing to OLB Jaelan Phillips potentially being ready to play Week 1 of the regular season, I always prefer to err on the side of caution, and I feel the team will as well. Bradley Chubb, on the other hand is not progressing as quickly, which makes sense since he was injured about a month later than Phillips. I also want to see ILB Anthony Walker who also has been making noise.

On the defensive line, both starting DE’s Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell won’t play, so we’ll see a fair amount of Gallimore, Mack, Hand, Harris and Kendricks. Being this is preseason, I’m thinking we won’t see much of Emmanuel Ogbah who recently signed, but if we do, I’m curious how much time he gets on the D-line, as opposed to playing OLB. I maintain he’s better suited there, but last I looked, I’m not the DC. In the secondary, don’t bet on getting our first look at S Jordan Poyer in a Dolphins uni. Do expect to see a fair amount of rookie Patrick McMorris and veteran Elijah Campbell. Marcus Maye might also get some reps, as well as Mark Perry. I think Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller will sit, but CB’s Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, and Ethan Bonner, who has also turned some heads in training will get lots of snaps. Mayhaps we see Storm Duck, who at the very least has an amusing name.

As per usghe, we hope to see some nice plays, and most of all, hope for no injuries. I don’t expect a whole lot of scoring, the offense will be as vanilla and as basic as possible, and same goes for the defense. I suppose I want to see if TE Jody Fortson has even the slightest chance of making the roster, because TE could be a place we carry only 3. Durham Smythe and Jonnu Smith are locks, and the way Julian Hill has been talked up, the tall, lanky Fortson appears to have an upHill battle. I want to see how the new kickoff rule looks out there, although this morning I was listening to WQAM and both Joe Rose, and especially Mike Florio from PFT feel that it’s almost certain that kicking the ball into the endzone for a touchback at the 30 yard line is going to be the NFL norm. That’s a shame, because in general, it can be such an exciting play, especially will all the speedy options we have to deploy back there, but such is life. Maybe the Preseason will be the testing grounds. Once again, lets hope we stay healthy and have no injuries!

GO DOLPHINS!!!