Not gonna lie, I’m legitimately excited to see some of our young guys play, and even some of the older guys too. I really didn’t think it would happen, as most of you know, I’m having a hard time being a fan of this team due to the current management, and the Head Coach. That being said, nothing could give me a jolt of enthusiasm more than to see some of our young players look like they can be NFL starters, potentially good ones! I expect there to be a certain amount of sloppiness, this is the first time many of the players we’ll see against Chicago getting their first televised game action and the big lights will be on, and that changes everything. It’s no longer just practice, and for some of these players, their performance in the 3 preseason games can be the difference between making the 53 and looking for a team to pick them up off of waivers.
We’re going to have a very young, unproven secondary, especially at the cornerback position. CB’s Storm Duck and Kendall Sheffield may be the boundary corners, while veteran Mike Hilton will be in the nickel. There are a few other CB’s who would love nothing more to not only win a roster spot but to steal a starting job. I believe that’s very possible here, it’s certainly written in pencil or chalk at this point and can easily be erased. Jack Jones who was with the Patriots and Raiders and now his third team going into his 4th year kind of needs to grab a starting spot and perform or he may never be considered for a starting spot anywhere. CB Ethan Bonner who always gets buzz in training camp needs to do more than that and make some plays with the lights on and get noticed. 2025 5th RD Pick CB Jason Marshall needs to make things happen to move up the depth chart and get a roster spot. It must feel like hell to be on a roster bubble, but sometimes stars are born when the pressure is on and the lights are on too.
The O-line right now is another are of concern and some positives. Already the depth will be tested with RT Austin Jackson OUT with a leg injury and his status for the regular season Game 1 is up in the air . OT Kion Smith has been here a while, and we have OL Liam Eichenberg who is the backup at every position on the O-line, as well as OL Larry Borom who is a backup at OG and OT. We also recently signed OT Germain Ifedi, so we have lots of bodies, but we need answers, one way or the other. Honestly, I can’t wait to see LT Patrick paul, although he may not play much against the Bears. Of course I want to see LG Jonah Savaiinaea and I want him to look like a beast. Not sure if james Daniels plays much either, but with him I just want to see that he’s healthy and moving well. C Aaron Brewer is also dealing with an injury, as is backup C Andrew Meyer. If it’s not Liam Eichenberg at C, your guess is as good as mine as to who else might play C, Daniel Brunskill, Addison West?
The front 7 is definitely going to be the strength of the defense, but that’s assuming our young players that we drafted get up to speed quickly. DT Zach Sieler got his well earned big payday, but next to him, big Benito Jones and 1st RD draft pick DT Kenneth Grant has to show quickly and be a force for us. The initial depth charts show us not working from the 3-4 base but I don’t think that’s necessarily a change in philosophy. I think we will try and put in some speed packages to get our best pass rushers on the field at the same time, but we will still operate from the base 3-4 which should feature RDE Zach Sieler, NT Benito Jones and LDE Kenneth Grant. At OLB depending upon the health of Jaelan Phillips and Bradely Chubb, those two probably start but I would expect to see an awful lot of 2nd year pass rusher Chop Robinson, and I mean a whole lotta Chop! The inside LB’s look as strong as I can remember with ILB’s Jordyn Brooks, Tyrel Dodson and Willie Gay and even KJ Britt. That’s a deep unit right there, and I haven’t even mentioned Channing Tindall. Back to OLB, Quinton Bell turned some heads again so maybe we see a little something from him and Cam Goode too. Mo Kamara might have a tough time making this roster.
At Safety, I think Minkah Fitzpatrick will be on the field the most, but who is with him again depends on health. Ashtyn Davis or Iffy Melifonwu will most likely be the other safety, and since it seems like Minkah will playing more of a centerfield role with us here in miami, Iffy Melifonwu is more of the SS type, but nothing is set in stone. We also drafted S Dante Trader and don’t forget about special teams ace Elijah Campbell who always impresses the coaches. I’m actually willing to give Minkah another chance, and I hope he surprises all of us by returning to his All Pro from back at his old position, not playing Strong Safety, and back with his old team. I’m sure the trade stung some, he’s a prideful fella, but having an All Pro season is the best message to send to Pittsburgh, as well as to become enamored by fans who weren’t necessarily sure if they liked the idea of him back in Aqua and Orange.
On offense, we have to stay healthy. I would expect RB De’Von Achane to see very little action, as well as QB Tua Tagovailoa. Besides, it’s really about the battle of the backups at both of those positions. At RB, it’s about 2nd year RB Jaylen Wright, veteran RB Alexander Mattison and 6th RD draft pick RB Ollie Gordon. At QB, there could be a dogfight for the backup spot with veteran QB Zach Wilson and rookie Quinn Ewers. Granted, Ewers faces an uphill battle because of who our starting QB is, Tua Tagovailoa and his tendency to get injured. Usually, you want a veteran back there, and last year’s hideous carousel of practice squad rejects was an embarrassment, but no more than relying on QB Skylar Thompson as the backup. Grier and McDaniel won’t get caught with their pants down this year so odds heavily favor QB Zach Wilson who has 33 NFL starts, and not the rookie 7th RD pick Quinn Ewers. Quinn Ewers though needs to show something for this team to carry him as the 3rd QB though, so he better up his game if he wants to be on the 53. The Dolphins could still elect to carry 3 QB’s if they like Ewers potential enough because if they put him on the PS, he’s as good as gone.
The WR spot will fun to see some good competition as well. Tyreek Hill won’t see much action if any, but I expect Jaylen Waddle to play some, and then someone needs to step up from the crowded WR room we have. We signed big WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine early on in Fre Agency after his impressive ’24 season in which he caught 32 passes for nearly 500 yards (497) for a nice 15.5 YPR as well as a heady 9 receiving TD’s. With TE Jonnu Smith gone, it makes sense to think that Westbrook-Ikhine could steal some of those catches, and that it would be nice to have a bigger bodied WR (6’2 211) on the field. Besides NWI, there’s always impressive slot WR Malik Washington who I’m looking forward to seeing some growth from. I think he can be a nice dependable receiver that can find the soft spot and get open when Tyreek and Waddle get the double coverage. He’s quick and shifty and he could get his share of targets. Then there’s good ole Erik Ezukanma who wows and disappears in equal measures. He better do more of the former, because if it’s the latter, he may finally ended his tenure here in Miami. The other Washington, Tahj Washington also needs to shine to make the roster. There’s also Dee Eskrdige who was a 2nd RD pick by Seattle back in 2021 who is fighting to make the roster. Hopefully we have some good competition there.
There’s also a battle for the Punter spot. Incumbent P Jake Bailey will have to be excellent to hold off the much stronger leg of Ryan Stonehouse. Stonehouse booms his punts but has lessplacement accuracy than Bailey. Still, I think the younger former Titans punter has the literal leg up on Bailey, averaging nearly 5 yards more per punt than Bailey. I think we all hope we aren’t punting very often but if we are, I think I’d rather take my chances with the booming leg of Stonehouse.
What are you excited to see? What players are you most anxious to see in action, and which battles are the one you look forward to most? I’m curious to hear your responses, I’m actually getting pumped to see what we got. Don’t mistake this as enthusiasm for our season, I’m nowhere near that yet, but I do want to see some young guys and some of our players returning from injury and how they look. this team has a lot of work to do to get me to feel positive about how our season will go, but maybe they surprise me a little how our young players perform and our botom of the roster looks. I can only hope!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
Manitoba,
How’s the weather doing up there for ya, man? It’s VERY HUMID here in area of PA (per the usual this time of year) and we’ve been steady in the low-90s over the last week.
We’re going to get a break next week, with highs only in the low 80s!
We have been mid 80’s most of summer .. northern part of our province has also been burning all summer as well , so lots of smoke in the air most days which sux.
⛈️🦆 gang here
who’s with me?!?!?!
Love the name , fits well with Penguin and Cheetah …. Also looked like he belonged last year. Hoping for steady up arrow
I’m really starting to beleive our starting CBs are gonna be Duck and Bonner
a Bonner emoji might be too much
😳
Lmao
🍆
Word has it Jalen Ramsey is not looking so good for the Steelers
https://x.com/nflstroud/status/1956092349987090747?s=46
Kind of like how he looked for us last year
Manitoba, can you keep your Canadian wildfire smoke up near you please?
We are sending ours to Chicago …. Yours is coming from our Newfy Friends 😎
😂. It was not great down in NY last week, and this week I’m up in Maine, and Tuesday morning was awful.
Another TE to keep an eye on is Oscar Delp, 6’5, 245 from UGA. He doesn’t grade very high in blocking though which is a little surprising coming from UGA and has the lowest blocking grade of Draftbuzz’s preseason top 10.
Doesn’t have big receiving stats either but is a reliable receiver with 4.52 speed.
He’s like a Gesicki but a better runner with the ball in his hands, doesn’t look like a wounded giraffe.
Could be there in the 4th or 5th round.
BB Mike- have you seen how high Mendoza has shot up draft boards?
Yeah, crazy. He looked decent at Cal. and I can’t wait to see what he does at IU. IU may have a good team again. After their success last season, they got some even better transfers in for this season.
Draftbuzz still lists him as a 3rd round prospect but 5 other sites, including PFN have him as a 1st round prospect.
I’ve seen him mocked top ten in three different mock drafts
College football kicks off next weekend. Only game worthwhile is the first one with #22 Iowa State at #17 Kansas State.
This is a game to watch if you are looking to draft a QB on day 3 and this game has 2 to keep an eye on. It features the exciting to watch dual threat QB Avery Johnson for KSU and Rocco Becht. Johnson may stay another year though, especially if he gets an NIL offer after this season.
youtube has a condensed 2 hr version of PS1, first Fins drive sound is off
Tua playing pitch and catch, looks like Brady
Malik looks good too, Jonnu role?
camera angle sucks in this video, can’t see shit on most pass plays
Bears guy catches the ball short, 6 seconds left in half, runs half way across the field and clock goes to 0, oh let’s put a second back on so the can kick a fist pump
Murphy looks awful, just going thru the motions
would be just like MM to put a one trick pony on the 53, one that is a liability in all other areas
I agree with most of these positions rankings except for #22 Safeties. I think we are a little better there since we added Minkah, maybe #18.
“Overall” is a little low also, especially going by their rankings. How do the Dolphins have an overall roster ranking of #24 when they list the Dolphins having 6 position groups in the top half of the league and only 4 position groups in the bottom half?
On top of that, 4 of the 6 position groups in the top half are ranked in the top 10. Only 3 of the 4 position groups in the bottom half are in the bottom 10 (TE, OL and CB).
Where One National Outlet Ranks the Miami Dolphins Roster?
I mean, it averages out to 17.6ish and they come up with #24.
beauty contest, no logic involved they don’t combine anything with the roster breakdown in the final eval
Ewers actually looking good, guys can’t catch, drop, drop, drop, now fumble coming
steveccnv says: August 15, 2025 at 2:11 pm
Murphy looks awful, just going thru the motions
————
That’s what Ryder said also. Unless he is flat out rushing the passer, he looks slow to process what’s going on. I think he might get beat out by Goode, McClendon or Kamara.
im watching the replay and #42 is just standing there in front of the RT doing nothing, the next play the ball is up in the air, seems to be an easy int, but he barely touches the ball
proceeding these 2 plays he was just hanging around with no urgency
wonder, if he was told to hold the edge first, so he’s dialed back the PR
Looks like you might be able to get the game on Paramount+ tomorrow. Not 100% on that.
I thought someone said Braeden Daniels looked bad in PS1. Ryder feels different. At least, the video shows some good stuff. If there is some really bad Ryder will usually show that also, but didn’t show any.
Watched Daniels in this video 30 minutes ago, easy to see he knows how to hold his base and has strength to overpower
never have I seen that from Eichenberg, so I’d put him in ahead of Eichenberg at OG
I went back and watched and it wasn’t Braden Daniels it was our starter!! Arms down at his side, rolling back-and-forth like a kid playing roll up in a blanket. Trying to push
Eric Smith has a video grading the OL, says Savaiinaea wasn’t good, but Brewer had a clean game with a positive on each play
I don’t think Jonah looked bad, but he didn’t look good either. It was a pretty standard rookie outing in his first real action, I think. I didn’t see anything to get excited or worried about.
Probably my biggest concern with Jonah is whether or not he can adjust to the stunts and twists he’ll see. He did okay in those situations in the game, but we’ll have to wait until the real bullets are flying before we can know for sure. No rookie is a finished product yet.
he looked a lot less ready than Patrick Paul who is essentially a rookie too
but I guess that’s expected
we have to go through the ups and down of a rookie I guess
agreed. He’s going to miss some blocks , but they would preferably not be when we are on the goal line.
I’m hearing/seeing/judging Kenneth Grant based on those at ground zero, coupled with the tape we’re able to see via practices/scrimmages. He already looks like a ROCKSTAR, as far as I can tell and via reports.
That is absolutely fabulous! Hopefully, it’s just the beginning of a stellar career.
Hopefully, he doesn’t play so well that he earns his right to become a FA…
we may have hit the jackppot in the draft with Grant, Phillips and Biggers
too bad Dickerson isn’t going to allow us to see Biggers this year
Dickerson equals Sieler 2.0, seriously though he’s pretty good
I’m not biting on Dickerson yet. He’s a vet. We know what he is. He had one okay PS game against backups. Biggers looked okay too. I’d much rather put equity into Biggers.
piggy,
Yeah, I’m really not interested in worrying about how a rookie OL looked in PS1. But, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say he was bad. His performance was like my golf game….some good, some bad. Lol
Hopefully, he doesn’t play so well that he earns his right to become a FA…
😆….. not ….. funny….MF13….🤣🤬
IT’S GAME DAY BITCHES!! (Well kind of)
Go NO INJURIES!!
I watched a YouTube video yesterday of a guy breaking down tape from the first preseason game and he was raving about how great Phillips is going to be
I saw that also. I think the potential is there. It’s way early but he kind of reminds me of a Tim Bowen. Almost same size and build.
I pull for the guy more because I drafted him in almost every mock draft I had. I feel more invested 😂
😝me tooo
go ⛈️🦆
go 🍆
lol
let’s go no injuries!
Joe getting a little angry!
Moosey
When your trait is to be best friends with the players and have no respect in the locker room it’s a little different situation
Joe Schad
How do you know that?
That’s not fair IMO
Have you been in the locker room Have you spoken with current players
What if biggest issue was players WHO ARE GONE
Well, that’s par for the course. They said the game could be streamed on Paramount+ but when I looked up the game it says unavailable. Paramount+ on has the Bucs vs Steelers and one other game.
What’s the link y’all use??
When I use a vpn for Miami i can see the game is showing on amazon through paramount+ subscription. Then of course amazon knows I’m using a vpn and it won’t let me watch it, lol.
Illegal streaming again today I guess.
https://www.nflbite.to/
or
https://v3.sportsurge.to/nflstreams12
I’m watching on NFL+.
The defense got the stop on the first drive thanks to a holding call, but it was the right call. Almost gave it right back on the punt return. Clean that up!!!
It’s a good thing Tua wasn’t in on that 3rd down, Zach had no chance and took a pretty hard hit.
Just going to watch the young guys play, not really anything else you can do with mostly backups playing.
OMG, we made a 3rd and short by running the ball!!!!
Barely, lol. Good thing we only needed a half yard.
what was that you were saying about Eskridge earlier?
Wilson has looked pretty good.
Except when under pressure and throwing out to the flat. Not good there and going back to PS1.
Wright looks indecisive. Though, that last run Tanner Conner got blown up by the LB and collapsed the hole.
I still think we should look to trade Hill, Eskridge and the 2 Washingtons make for good depth.
Side note, Conner had a couple catches on that drive and P. Brown had a nice catch called back.
They need to get that illegal formation crap cleaned up.
Not sure who the CB was on that TD but he should have passed his guy off to the safety. Miscommunication there.
been a lot of talk about the Dolphins, being soft and undisciplined
doesn’t look that way in the game
This OL can’t make a hole for nothing
At least our running issues have been solved. Midway through the 2nd quarter we have 4 carries for 3 yds. Woohoo!!
At least Gordon is doing better with 2 yards on 2 carries
I do like seeing the TEs involved more this half. Hopefully, MM continues that into the regular season.
BBM and Cav Kong,
100% agreed with both of your last posts.
really tired of Wilson holding the ball too long. You know they’re blitzing. You know you have to just get rid of the damned ball.
I’m not overly impressed with Zach Wilson thus far… granted he’s playing behind a sub-par O-Line of 2nd-stringers.
Me neither
The one thing we can take from the first 1 1/2 games, Miami has absolute no depth on the OL. Might not be a problem in September, but it will make a difference in December.
+100000000000000000
^
I just knew before that play Wilson was going to stand there and get sacked.
it’s only preseason and I already feel that midseason sinking feeling, lol
Marshall is not having a good day.
at least we held them to a td
That was Cornell Armstrong giving up that TD. He has not had a good game either, even before giving up that TD.
I watched the running play (probably 3 plays before the TD), focusing specifically on Channing Tindall… he absolutely played NOT to get hurt. He may as well have just sat at home. SMH
Wilson had decent pocket presence in NY, not sure what his problem is now
He’s seeing 5 ghosts, his O-Line before him.
Make it 4 ghosts… I don’t think Braeden Daniels is doing bad.
The only way this team has a shot at the playoffs is to stay extremely healthy. Most likely won’t happen.
Absolutely agreed.
i’m actually pleasantly surprised about the depth in the front seven, but that may have a lot to do with a lot of of the starters being injured the last few years and the back ups getting quality playing time
Maybe it’s just me, but I think Quinn looks so much more poised and comfortable than Zach Wilson.
That 1st throw by Ewers was on the money. Wease got to bring that in.
Jordan F’n Phillips!!!
Phillips is having a good game!
very small sample size with only two preseason games being played so far but special teams is looking much better under this new coach!!
Without a doubt! We aren’t missing Danny Crossman, to be sure.
Murphy is looking a little better this week. Not standing around and attacking more.
The Flying Pig
says:
August 15, 2025 at 8:54 pm
we may have hit the jackppot in the draft with Grant, Phillips and Biggers
————
Pigster, I think you may be correct, man.
While I agree, Biggers got moved around a couple times I saw.
I do like the potential of Ollie in the running and passing game.
YUP!
NICE STRIKE by QUINN!!! TD!!!
That’s the best throw I’ve seen from Ewers. TD!!!
Nice throw Ewers
Ewers made that one look easy
Ewers definitely has a poised presence to him.
^
Henning got to let that go. He lost his shot there.
We were determined to lose a fumble this game
That’s what I was talking about. Biggers made a good play stuffing the run. The next play he got bulldozed 4-5 yards down the field.
Channing Tindall is just SO frustrating! He shows flashes, then shows lack of awareness, then sometimes doesn’t even show up.
Tim Knight
says:
August 16, 2025 at 3:11 pm
Ewers definitely has a poised presence to him.
———-
Thank you!
Ewers has been on the money. These guys on the bubble need to bring it in. That’s 2 now, 1 on Wease and 1 on Black.
He does have a quick release and knows where he wants to go with the ball pretty quickly.
WTF kind of play was that? A screen with no blocking
Back-to-back GREAT plays by Tindall… the first negated by penalty.
These announcers are better than last week even though they are covering their team. Much more tolerable.
Agreed. MUCH more tolerable.
At least they cover the game. The Bears announcers talked about everything but the game.
QUINN AGAIN!!! TD!!!
Ewers is on the money today
IMO, you can see the intelligence of Quinn. Again, he’s so very poised and doesn’t panic. He was likely to throw to the TE as his initial read, but Quinn saw danger. He scanned the field and found somebody else for the TD.
He has been impressive.
Yessir!
Ewers showing he is a threat on the roll outs. Has been accurate today, looks much better.
He gives me much more confidence than Zach Wilson.
Cam Smith actually showed nice coverage on that last series.
1st bad decision by Ewers
Ha! The announcer just called out our short yardage running, too finesse. LOL
He’s not wrong.
Too much motion instead of lining up and saying my guys are tougher than yours.
Or something like that.
LOL @ these announcers for the Lions, talking how they can get back into the game to win this one! 😆
THIS IS A GLORIFIED PRACTICE SESSION!!!
LOL, I guess maybe even the announcers are trying to get into regular season form!
Asante is a thumper
ETHAN ROBINSON?!! NICE!!!
wow, heck of a play
Awesome play!
our 3rd string owns the lions 3rd string
I will say these announcers and this broadcast was much more palatable than that garbage Bears broadcast last week.
I’m not sure if you can make the team on the strength of one play, but if you can, that was the play.
I’m really happy seeing a preseason win here. Especially after all the noise during the joint practices
But…I thought we were supposed to be too soft?
hoping Ewers has solidified the #2 QB spot
Zach Wilson has not been impressive
speaking of moving into the 2 slot – how bout Ollie Gordon!
Zach Wilson holds the ball too long.
Gordon is a hard tough runner, we need that
I think our front 7 is going to be good.
It’s good to hear positive things! 👍
I have Amazon but still blacked out. Sons of biscuit eaters.
Ewers isn’t close to being #2, but he did play pretty good today
Closer than Wilson is
Seems that way
I was in Daytona Beach, game was on ABC
Eskridge has the speed to be a PR, he looked great on the long punt, block in back, 20+ yard return in 1st qtr
Tahj continues to impress, think we keep 6
What are your 6?
I liked seeing P Brown get a nice 30 yard catch today, even though it was brought back because of a stupid illegal formation with the RT. I think it’s possible that we could get 1-2 plays like that from him each week.