TAMPA — We’ve almost made it, friends. Another Miami Dolphins preseason will be in the books by midnight Friday.
All that’s standing between the Dolphins and the 2024 NFL regular season? One final exhibition affair with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview
Will Starters Play?
The Dolphins have a ton of minor but disruptive injuries at basically every position group.
And so even if head coach Mike McDaniel had a big appetite for playing all of his starters in this game — which probably was never the case — doing so isn’t possible. So how beneficial is it to put Tua Tagovailoa at risk here Friday if he’ll be throwing to a bunch of backups?
“We will play some starters; we won’t play others,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “The strategy is just where guys are at. There’s jobs to be won, and then to really evaluate all of the jobs at stake, you end up prioritizing certain aspects of your team and getting game reps for the guys that haven’t played in games as much.
“So for a majority of the starters, today is a very big practice because some of them won’t play — there will be some that do, but that is just kind of how I look at it overall. Case by case but trending that way.”
Will Mike White Finally Get a Fair Shake?
The QB2 competition is winding down, but Mike White still hasn’t gotten preseason work with NFL-caliber players.
White has been behind Skylar Thompson in each of the Dolphins’ first two exhibitions, and his struggles (44.1% completions, 56.3 rating) can at least partially be blamed on what’s been around him.
McDaniel’s goal this preseason has been to make things as tough on White and Thompson as possible to see how they respond. But unless White finally gets the same quality reps with quality players that Thompson has, the competition won’t have been completely fair.
“Once you let your mind start wandering to that, you’re kind of screwed,” White said this week. “I’ve taken the approach of whatever my plays are that day, play them out, lead your group, no matter who it is. It could be Tyreek [Hill] and Jaylen [Waddle], it could be the rookies, it could be anybody. … I can’t control who is on the field and also play the position.
“So when I get in the huddle, that’s when I find out who I’m with and then lead those guys to the best of my ability.”
A Surprise at Cornerback?
Three undrafted corners have really acquitted themselves well this summer: Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson, and Jason Maitre (who was a tryout player who earned a training camp roster spot).
If the Dolphins keep 10 or more DBs, at least one of these three could make the 53.
“That young defensive back group, I’ll tell you what; they’re here early every morning, they’re doing everything they can to try to digest as much information as possible, and typically when that happens, there is a little bit of paralysis through analysis, but these guys have been able to take that information and then have it translate onto the field fairly quickly,” defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said.
“So man, I’ll tell you what, I’m not counting any of those kids out to potentially help us this season. We’ll see how the roster shakes out and things like that, but however it shakes out, those kids should have zero regrets about the work they’ve put in thus far.”
Who Wins the Last Defensive Line Spot?
The Dolphins will sort out their jumbled defensive line situation over the next few days, and players on the bubble will help provide that clarity with their play Friday.
Zach Sieler, Calais Campbell, and Benito Jones (assuming he finally gets healthy) are on the team. Beyond that? There’s uncertainty.
Brandon Pili got the start last week with Jones out. Pili and Neville Gallimore got the most snaps of the position group against Washington.
Da’Shawn Hand and Jonathan Harris are also in the mix. Isaiah Mack has flashed at times as well.
“I just want to see a consistent approach to work,” Weaver said. “The results will take care of themselves. … So as long as we maximize our time when we’re on that field, when we’re in the meeting room, and we’re just trying to go out there and be the best versions of ourselves, the rest will shake itself out.
“But those guys, I’ll tell you what, you talk about guys that compete and care and get ball and want to be a part, a contributing member of this team, that’s each and every one of those guys.”
Can Jack Driscoll Rise Up?
The Dolphins need at least one more interior lineman to step up.
Liam Eichenberg hasn’t been great filling in for Aaron Brewer temporarily at center, but he wasn’t particularly great earlier in camp when he was getting all the first-team right guard snaps, either.
There’s an opening for offseason pickup Jack Driscoll to seize that job with a strong finish to his preseason.