Through two weeks, the Miami Dolphins’ rookie class has already logged a ton of meaningful reps, and the early returns are starting to separate the group a little bit.
That’s the tradeoff with an 0-2 start out West: plenty of pain in the moment, but also a crash course for a young roster. Miami has leaned on its rookies right away, and the usage has been heavy enough to give a real first look at who’s handling the jump and who’s still finding his footing.
The Dolphins opened with six rookies in the starting lineup against the Raiders, then bumped that number to seven against the 49ers when fullback DJ Herman joined wide receiver Caleb Douglas, guard Kadyn Proctor, tight end Will Kacmarek, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Michael Taaffe.
The snap totals tell the same story. In the loss to San Francisco, Miami’s 10 rookies who played combined for 401 snaps, down from 436 in the opener against Las Vegas.
At the top of the rookie stack right now is Douglas, even after a quieter follow-up against the 49ers and the ankle injury he suffered in the second half. He wasn’t able to duplicate his strong NFL debut, but through two games it’s still tough to argue anyone on this rookie list has been better.
Rodriguez also took a step back from his Week 1 showing. He was stronger against the run against San Francisco, but he may not have been as sharp in coverage as he was against Las Vegas.
Proctor had the kind of game that leaves you with both the highlight and the mistake. The false start penalty will stick in the memory - he began pulling to his right while his linemates were still set - but there was plenty of good work in the run game. The pass protection is still developing, yet the overall outing was a solid one.
Taaffe made his presence felt against the 49ers, especially with how aggressively he attacked the run and with the pressure he produced on a blitz against Brock Purdy. PFF wasn’t impressed with his coverage work, but that has to be taken with a grain of salt. Purdy hardly missed, and the game didn’t exactly feature a flood of throws into tight windows.
Kacmarek picked up his first career reception against San Francisco and once again held up as a blocker, which is a big part of why Miami brought him in.
Johnson’s numbers on the advanced side still weren’t pretty, though this time he avoided the kind of touchdown damage he took in the opener. He was the closest defender to George Kittle on the 40-yard completion early in the second half, but Jeff Hafley pointed to strong play design on that snap. Johnson also had tackling issues and was charged by PFR with two missed tackles.
Herman got off to a nice start with a long catch out of the flat, though he’ll learn to switch the ball over to the hand/arm closest to the sideline. The blocking, though, didn’t look great on tape and didn’t score well with PFF either.
Bell, who is now dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired knee, was targeted once in 24 offensive snaps and the pass fell incomplete.
Traore stayed on special teams for a second straight week, but this time he led the entire team in special teams snaps. That’s a good sign, especially since the coverage units were noticeably better this time around.
Coleman played 14 offensive snaps against the 49ers but wasn’t targeted at all, which is hard to call anything but disappointing given his speed. He did contribute as a blocker, though.
Joly was inactive for the second time in two games, and with Traore soaking up so many special teams snaps, that appears to be a major reason he hasn’t gotten on the field. That could change if the Dolphins’ wave of wide receiver injuries opens up room.
Campbell is still very much a developmental offensive lineman. The sixth-round pick made the roster after spending most of the offseason behind the starters, but unless injuries ahead of him force the issue, this looks like a year where most of his growth will happen on the practice field. He was inactive again.
Moore would likely be much higher on this list if he were healthy. The fourth-round pick injured his ankle in the preseason and started the regular season on injured reserve. Miami has designated him to return, so his evaluation is on hold until he’s back out there.
Louis got a brief look in the opener against Las Vegas, but a knee injury ended that debut after just three defensive snaps and sent him to injured reserve. Miami had been working him into a hybrid role that used his coverage skills, and Jeff Hafley said after Week 1 that his playing time was starting to rise in the second half.
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Juszczyks explanation has turned the episode into more than a standard postgame penalty dispute, with the veteran insisting the message was about juice rather than beer. He has left open the possibility of appealing, which keeps a small but oddly specific sideline controversy attached to a game Miami has already moved past. [Read more 🡒]