The Dolphins’ preseason finale against the Falcons was less about the scoreboard and more about survival. With the starters parked for a second straight week, Friday night turned into one last audition for players trying to keep their NFL dream alive before cutdown day arrives.
According to Pro Football Focus, only five Miami offensive players finished with grades above 70, which qualifies as above average in PFF’s system. Whether that was enough to stick on the 53-man roster or land on the practice squad is still to be determined, but each of them left the field with something to build on.
Terrace Marshall Jr. led the group with an 81.4 offensive grade, and he made the kind of plays receivers are supposed to make when jobs are on the line. After being mostly quiet over the first two preseason games, when he logged 21 offensive snaps and caught just one pass for nine yards, Marshall Jr. finally flashed.
His biggest moment came on a 33-yard gain when he went up over a Falcons defensive back in a grab that called to mind Randy Moss. He also added a 16-yard catch for another first down.
Just as important, he stood out as a run blocker, where PFF gave him an elite 86.4 grade.
Jalen Tolbert also helped himself with a 74.7 offensive grade. Tolbert arrived in Miami with expectations that he’d be in the starting mix, but his standing appeared to slip as camp went on.
The fact that he was out there for 24 snaps while the rest of the first-teamers sat tells you plenty about where things stood. He answered with his best showing yet, catching three passes for 27 yards, including a 19-yard grab early.
For the preseason, he finished with four receptions for 54 yards and still looks likely to make the 53-man roster, though the waiver wire could always change that.
A.J. Henning turned in a 74.4 offensive grade and kept making the most of his limited chances.
He was targeted only four times all preseason, but three of those targets became catches for 61 yards, the most among Miami pass catchers. He popped again on a 31-yard catch from Mark Gronowski that moved the chains, and he also had a 24-yard reception against the Commanders in preseason Week 1.
Even with that production, Henning still looks like more of a practice squad candidate than a roster lock.
Tight end Jeremiah Franklin checked in at 74.1 offensively, and his night was built more on blocking than box-score numbers. He had one catch for six yards, though it came on a play wiped out because the Dolphins lined up illegally.
Even so, he graded well in both phases, posting a 74.0 as a pass blocker and a 72.8 as a run blocker. Franklin played under Jeff Hafley at Boston College in 2022 and 2023 before arriving on waivers from the New England Patriots, and the timing worked in his favor.
The tight end room has taken hits, with rookie Will Kacmarek and free agent addition Ben Sims dealing with injuries, as well as presumed starter Greg Dulcich earlier in camp. Cole Turner was waived with an injury designation before the game, leaving Franklin, fifth-round rookie Seydou Traore, and Ethan Conner to handle the snaps against Atlanta.
That may have been enough to keep Franklin in the conversation for a practice squad spot.
Mark Gronowski rounded out the list with a 72.0 offensive grade and maybe the strongest rebound of the night. His path has already been a wild one, from being released before the preseason opener to getting called back after Quinn Ewers’ injury, then showing out in 31 snaps in Week 4.
Last week’s debut was rough. This one looked much better.
The stat line was modest - four completions on eight attempts for 97 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions - but the details mattered. His adjusted completion percentage was 100 percent because his receivers dropped three passes, and his only other incompletion came on a throwaway.
He also showed the kind of toughness that stands out in camp, taking a hit that bent him backwards awkwardly and still fighting through it. Making the final roster won’t be easy for someone who has already been cut once, but he was clearly the most impressive of Miami’s reserve quarterbacks on Friday, and a practice squad role is very much in play.
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