The Miami Dolphins have reached the point of no return in the preseason, and Friday night’s loss to the Falcons was less about the scoreboard than the roster crunch that follows. The final cut-down process begins Saturday, and the team has to get to its 53-man roster by Sunday evening.
Miami made the night even more revealing by sitting most of its starters on both sides of the ball. That included Quinn Ewers, a move that stood out given some around the team believe his grip on the job is loosening. With Ewers out, Cam Miller handled most of the offense.
The Falcons went the other way and played their starters, with Tua Tagovailoa taking first-team reps. The former Dolphins quarterback completed seven passes, but none traveled more than 10 air yards. Miami’s second-team defense held up well against that unit, a bright spot for a group of backups even if Atlanta’s starting lineup is not considered elite.
For Miami, the night produced a mix of players who helped themselves and others who made life harder on the decision-makers.
Chris Bell’s debut counted as a win on its own. He was targeted five times and came away with two catches for 22 yards. The rookie was uneven, but simply getting him on the field for his first NFL action gave the Dolphins a look at what he might offer on offense.
Jackson Woodard kept showing the same trait that has people comparing him to Andrew Van Ginkel: he finds the football. When Tyrel Dodson forced Brian Robinson to fumble, Woodard was the one who came away with it.
Dodson had one of the cleaner stat lines of the night. He finished the first half with six tackles and a forced fumble, and he was constantly around the ball. He’s expected to sit behind Jacob Rodriguez on the depth chart, but he also may have done enough to put himself on the trade radar.
Jalen Tolbert also looked comfortable throughout the game, staying active into the second half. If his place on the roster was in doubt, this performance should calm that down. He looked especially good with the backup quarterbacks running the show.
Mark Gronowski made the most of his second-half work, and it was a noticeable step up from his previous outing. The undrafted rookie showed calm in the pocket and kept his eyes downfield, a strong enough showing to strengthen his case for a practice squad spot.
D.J. Campbell didn’t get the chance to test himself against Atlanta’s first-team defenders, but he still held his own once the backups were in. He was sturdy in the second half and may have earned his spot.
Not everyone helped their cause.
Ethan Bonner had a rough night at the worst possible time. He finished the first half with four tackles, but he was out of rhythm, missed chances to make plays, and gave up a touchdown. For a player with his upside, it was the kind of game that can really sting.
Theo Wease, Jr. also took a hit to his chances. When a player is fighting for a roster spot, dropped touchdown passes are brutal.
The throw from Gronowski wasn’t chest-high, but Wease had no excuse to let it slip away. He was already on thin ice, and that drop only made things worse.
Josh Priebe struggled at guard, where he gave up steady pressure. The Dolphins shifted him to center in the second half and he settled in a bit, but a false start on 4th-and-goal in the third quarter wiped out a chance. That’s a costly mistake in any situation, and especially when the ball is literally in your hands.
D.J. Herman got an opportunity with Ben Sims out, since Sims didn’t play and is either dealing with an issue or already being treated like a starter.
Herman was fine overall, but fine wasn’t enough. A third-quarter drop on a wide-open look is the kind of mistake that can sink a player when the roster spot is hanging in the balance.
In Other News...
Dolphins Backfield Suddenly Has One Trade Question Fans Should Watch
The Dolphins have already made one backfield move this week, shipping Tutu Atwell to the Rams in exchange for running back Jarquez Hunter, and it was the kind of swap that naturally invites a little roster-watching in Miami. Any time a team adds a young runner, it stirs up the same question about how the depth chart might shift, especially for a club that has spent a lot of time trying to get the right mix behind its top options.
Josh Jacobs legal situation in Green Bay only adds another layer to the conversation around running back movement around the league, even if there is nothing official on Miamis side yet. For the Dolphins, the intrigue is less about a completed deal than about whether the market could keep opening up and make one of their own players a candidate to move if the right opportunity comes along. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Just Made A Cut That Says A Lot About Their Priorities
With roster cutdown day closing in, the Dolphins made one of the more revealing moves of their late-summer cleanup by releasing linebacker Tyrel Dodson along with eight other players. The decision is believed to be tied to finances, with Miami creating about $3 million in salary cap space as it trims the roster and reshapes the back end of the team.
The timing adds another layer to a day that already included a trade of quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2028 sixth-round pick. Between the cap move and the draft-pick shuffle, Miami is clearly treating this stretch as more than a simple numbers exercise, with every transaction hinting at how the front office is sorting priorities before the season starts. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Just Raised A Bigger Question About Their Quarterback Plan
The Dolphins used the cutdown deadline to reshape a few corners of the roster, and the moves were more revealing than routine. Miami sent wideout Tutu Atwell to the Rams for running back Jarquez Hunter, then dealt quarterback Quinn Ewers to Jacksonville for a 2028 sixth-round pick pending a physical, while also waiving more than a dozen players and claiming two others. On paper, it was a busy churn of fringe roster business. In practice, it also nudged the conversation back toward how Miami wants to build out the back end of the depth chart and where it stands with its quarterback room.
Ewers was never going to be the headliner here, but moving him anyway is the kind of decision that gets attention because it touches the one position teams almost never stop managing. The financial angle matters too, since these kinds of trades can help shape the books while clearing space for other players, and Miami clearly chose flexibility over keeping a developmental arm in house. The bigger question now is what this says about the Dolphins broader quarterback plan, especially with the deadline pressure easing and the roster nearly set. [Read more 🡒]