Miami Dolphins Week 13 Snap Counts ... And What They Mean
The Miami Dolphins had to make a lot of adjustments on the fly during the 19-7 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals because of a combination of injuries and ejections, and that was reflected in the snap counts.
During the game, the Dolphins lost starting linebacker Elandon Roberts (chest) and guard Ereck Flowers (ankle) for the game in the first quarter, safety Eric Rowe for some play while he was being evaluated for a concussion, and saw cornerback Xavien Howard and wide receivers DeVante Parker and Mack Hollins all ejected.
As a result, only two players were on the field for all 52 defensive snaps: cornerback Byron Jones and safety Bobby McCain.
With Howard ejected near the end of the first half, rookie first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene got his first significant action on defense in over a month. Igbinoghene played 22 snaps on defense after getting only two in the previous four games combined.
With Roberts out of action, Calvin Munson played nine snaps on defense, matching his total for the first 11 games combined.
Along the defensive line, Christian Wilkins' total of 44 snaps was only his seventh-highest of the season, but his 85 percent of the team total was his highest in 2020.
It also should be noted that rookie Raekwon Davis played 28 snaps, his lowest total since the Rams game Nov. 1.
On offense, Jesse Davis played the final 56 snaps on offense (out of 70) at right guard and rookie Solomon Kindley moved from right to left guard after Flowers was injured.
The Dolphins' three rookie offensive linemen — Kindley, Austin Jackson and Robert Hunt — played every snap on offense together for the first time this season.
As expected, Myles Gaskin got the bulk of the work at running back in his return from injured reserve, playing 50 of the 70 offensive snaps. Lynn Bowden Jr. was listed as a running back in the gamebook and was second in snaps with 31, followed by Patrick Laird with 19.
Bowden was impressive enough, including an 11-yard run, to have earned more playing time on offense.
On the flip side, wide receiver Antonio Callaway continues to get little playing time.
He played 13 snaps for a second consecutive week — after playing eight in his first game with the Dolphins against the Denver — and was not targeted once in the passing game.
At wide receiver, it was Jakeem Grant who got the bulk of the work opposite Parker after Hollins got the second-most snaps against the Jets.
But remember that Grant entered that Jets game in Week 12 nursing a hamstring injury.
On special teams, Clayton Fejedelem led the way against his former team with 21 snaps, followed by Kavon Frazier and Andrew Van Ginkel with 19. If it wasn't already clear, those three along with Hollins are core special teams players for the Dolphins.
