The Dolphins got a clear look at their depth on Saturday, and the picture wasn’t pretty.
Miami fell 26-3 to the Giants in the second week of the 2026 NFL Preseason, a game the Dolphins used to rest most of their starters and sort through the roster battles that are already taking shape. Instead, they spent the afternoon getting pushed around. New York scored a touchdown on its opening drive and never looked back.
Miami’s offense managed only 2.8 yards per play, the defense allowed 4.9 yards per play, and the special teams never gave the Dolphins any kind of lift. With six days left before their preseason finale on Friday, the margin for error is getting thin.
The biggest concern may be the health chart. Rookie linebacker Trey Moore left in the first quarter with a left leg injury, was helped off without putting weight on the leg, and later went to the locker room on a cart. Then in the second quarter, running back Ollie Gordon was tackled and stayed down, appearing to favor his arm before walking back to the locker room on his own.
That’s a rough stretch for a team that already needs depth to hold up.
There was at least one encouraging name on the defensive side. Jackson Woodard, an undrafted free agent last year who bounced between three teams and appeared in four special teams games as a rookie, is still trying to carve out a spot.
He came into camp as a long shot for anything beyond the practice squad, but he keeps showing up. After posting a game-high seven tackles last week, he followed that with four tackles and a fumble recovery against the Giants.
He also chipped in two tackles in punt coverage, though one was wiped out by a holding penalty.
The rookies at receiver are also making themselves visible. Caleb Douglas turned heads with a spectacular catch against the Commanders last week, and Kevin Coleman, Jr. answered on Saturday.
Coleman had already stood out in Thursday’s joint practice with the Giants, then backed it up in the game with a leaping catch in traffic for a 30-yard gain. He finished with two catches for 32 yards, the only Miami player with more than one reception.
That’s about where the good news ends.
Miami’s depth offensive line had a brutal day. The group couldn’t create running lanes and couldn’t keep quarterbacks Cam Miller or Mark Gronowski clean. The Dolphins didn’t even get to 100 yards of offense until 8:46 remained in the game, and their best gains came when the quarterbacks scrambled away from pressure.
Rookie guard Kadyn Proctor was the only starting lineman to see action, and he was out there for just three snaps. Everything else fell on the reserves, and they didn’t answer the call.
Late in the fourth quarter, Josh Priebe was even working at center, which raises a question about the backup picture behind starter Aaron Brewer. Andrew Meyer has struggled, while rookie Jim Bonifas may need more time.
Could Priebe end up backing up Brewer and opening a roster spot elsewhere?
Special teams were shaky throughout and got worse at the end when Tahj Washington muffed a punt. The whole unit looked out of sync, from kick coverage to punt coverage to field goals and returns. It needs real attention before the regular season arrives.
And then there’s Tahj Atwell, who had a quiet, unhelpful afternoon. He finished with no receptions on two targets, one yard on the ground, and one kick return for 27 yards. That’s not the kind of production Miami should be trying to keep around.
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For Miami, the intrigue is less about the Browns internal drama than what happens if Watsons path in Cleveland keeps drifting. The Dolphins already have to think in terms of fit and timing when it comes to quarterback alternatives, and Watson is one of the names tied to that conversation along with the Rams and Raiders because of how his skill set could match certain offensive systems. For now, it remains a hypothetical, but the kind of unsettled situation in Cleveland is exactly the sort that can put another team on alert. [Read more 🡒]