Dolphins 2023 Preseason Finale Snap Count Observations

Cedrick Wilson Jr., DeShon Elliott and Julian Hill were among the players whose playing time stood out in the preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars

The Miami Dolphins wrapped up their preseason schedule with a sloppy 31-18 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars, though little that happened during the game mattered very much considering the way it ended.

There was some good news afterward, with head coach Mike McDaniel and the organization reporting that wide receiver Daewood Davis had feelings in his fingers and his toes.

Davis' injury occurred halfway through the fourth quarter, by which time those on the field for either team were young players trying to make one last statement to help their roster.

By contrast, the Dolphins started the game with all of their healthy starters except for defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who has not taken part in practice other than stretching or individual drills for the past two weeks as he continues to search for a new contract.

The one player who was not on the list of players not expected to play the Dolphins released before the game was offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg, who also missed the preseason game against the Houston Texans but did take reps in team periods this past week.

The rest of the list consisted of CB Jalen Ramsey, QB Mike White, WR Jaylen Waddle, CB Justin Bethel, RB Jeff Wilson Jr., RB De'Von Achane, S Brandon Jones, CB Nik Needham, OL Robert Jones, T Terron Armstead, TE Eric Saubert, WR Braylon Sanders, DT Zach Sieler and DT Da'Shawn Hand.

DOLPHINS OFFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- What jumps out here immediately is the snap count for right guard Robert Hunt, who joined left guard in playing 33 snaps, while the other three starting offensive linemen — Kendall Lamm, Connor Williams and Austin Jackson — came in at 17. Perhaps the absence of both Jones and Eichenberg explains Hunt's extended playing time a bit, but the Dolphins also could have given more snaps later on to Lester Cotton, whose spot on the 53-man roster doesn't seem nearly as solid. 

-- At QB Tua Tagovailoa ended up playing 14 series over two series, but the first one might have been longer if not for an errant shotgun snap that resulted in a 25-yard loss. Skylar Thompson ended up playing 41 snaps in relief of Tua and rookie free agent James Blackman's NFL preseason debut was stopped after four snaps because of Davis' injury and the subsequent suspension of the game.

-- At running back, Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin looked like they were headed for a similar work load before Ahmed left the game with a head injury — head coach Mike McDaniel said Ahmed passed the neurological test during the game. As a result, Ahmed ended up limited to eight offensive snaps.

-- Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. had the second-most snaps of any offensive player with 44, and it suggests that maybe the Dolphins were trying to showcase him in the hopes of being able to trade him. River Cracraft also played more than 40 snaps, but this is a player battling for one of the final roster spots on offense. Tyreek Hill had a 32-yard reception on the first offensive play of the game, but he wound up playing only two more snaps.

-- Among the young tight ends, rookie free agent Julian Hill had way more offensive snaps (39) than either Tanner Conner (21) or rookie sixth-round pick Elijah Higgins (4). This might suggest the Dolphins coaches wanted to gather more information on Hill before making a decision at that position.

DOLPHINS DEFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- On defense, it's worth noting that the Dolphins opened in a 2-4-5 alignment, with Raekwon Davis and rookie free agent Brandon Pili up front and veteran Eli Apple at outside cornerback along with Kader Kohou in the slot.

-- Opening with two down linemen might have had to do with Jacksonville's offense but also the absence of Wilkins and Sieler.

-- In terms of snap counts, we can't help but look at the safety position where Verone McKinley III led the way for all defensive players with 39 followed by veteran free agent acquisition DeShon Elliott with 38. Let's remember that secondary coach Renaldo Hill had mentioned McKinley and Elliott, as well as Elijah Campbell, as among the three leading contenders for the starting safety spot alongside Jevon Holland.

-- Campbell didn't play a snap on defense before his night ended when he sustained a knee injury on a kickoff return that didn't look good as he walked off the field barely able to put any weight on his right leg.

-- With Wilkins ad Sieler out, young players Josiah Bronson (38), Pili (37) and Jaylen Twyman (33) got the bulk of the work on the defensive line. Jamal Woods, who was signed late in the week, even got in some work with six snaps.

-- Among the starters, all of them played at least 18 snaps, with David Long Jr. and Jerome Baker the only way to finish with fewer than 20.

-- Finally, we take a look at the special teams, which often can provide some sort of indicator in a preseason finale with more snaps there often equating to more roster security. With that in mind, those who led the way in special teams snap against Jacksonville were Duke Riley (10), Goode (9), Channing Tindall (9), Andrew Van Ginkel (9), Malik Reed (9), McKinley (8) and Elliott (8).

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