Ten Players to Watch in the 2025 Preseason Opener

The Miami Dolphins will open their preseason schedule against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon, and the first question as always is whether any of the front-line players will be in action.

Those players who won't dress for that first game for non-injury reasons pretty much are the locks to make the 53-player roster, and conversely those in the lineup either will be trying to offer more evidence they should be on the 2025 team or at the very least get a bigger role on offense or defense.

With that in mind, here is our list of 10 players to watch in that preseason opener against the Bears:

DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB QUINN EWERS

We'll start off with the third quarterback on the roster and the one without any NFL game action on his resume. Ewers has looked solid for most of training camp, but didn't do very much in the joint practice Friday. This is another step in his development and logic says he should get a good deal of snaps in this game.

RB JAYLEN WRIGHT

After coming into camp with high expectations based on the flashes he showed as a rookie and viral social media clips of his offseason physique, Wright's training camp performance has been so far frankly a bit underwhelming. A good performance in the preseason opener could serve as a springboard.

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON

After missing his entire rookie season while on injured reserve, Washington has made his share of plays in training camp but still needs to do more to guarantee himself a spot on the initial 53-man roster.

WR DEE ESKRIDGE

There isn't much separation among Dolphins wide receivers behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, even though 2024 sixth-round pick Malik Washington looks like the front-runner for the No. 3 role. But it's Eskridge who has been the most productive of the backup wide receivers in camp so far and a good performance Sunday could get him closer to securing a roster spot.

T LARRY BOROM

Borom has been taking first-team reps at right tackle in the absence of starter Austin Jackson, who's out with a lower leg injury, and he could become a very important player for the Dolphins in 2025 as the backup swing tackle. His performance in camp has been uneven, though it has picked up in the past few days. But the Dolphins would feel a lot better if he could have a good outing against the Bears.

DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

DT KENNETH GRANT

While we're not sure whether rookie second-round pick Jonah Savaiinaea will play Sunday because he didn't finish the joint practice, we'd be shocked to not see first-round pick Kenneth Grant in the lineup. Grant always is more likely to shine in a game setting than in practice and it obviously would be encouraging to see him flash against the Bears.

DT JORDAN PHILLIPS

See Grant, Kenneth. The fifth-round pick figures to be asked to play a significant role as a rookie, even if it's not as significant as what will be asked of Grant, but he simply hasn't been very noticeable yet. The Dolphins clearly would feel better about him with a strong preseason debut showing.

EDGE GRAYSON MURPHY

The Dolphins are going to have to make some tough decisions when it comes to which edge defenders to keep on the 53-man roster with multiple options behind Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson. Quinton Bell seems like a front-runner for the fourth spot, and Murphy pass-rushing potential might land him that fifth spot. But he needs to show an all-around game to stick, and that starts with the game against the Bears.

LB WILLIE GAY JR.

Gay has been the defensive player who's gotten the most attention for his training camp work, and that's because he's gotten his hands on the ball or gotten to the quarterback so often. But for him to carve out a bigger role on defense, he needs to show consistency and that he can be as good against the run as he is in coverage or blitzing.

CB ETHAN BONNER

The battle for the two cornerback spots very well might come down to the final days of training camp, and Bonner has had himself a good week of work as his arrow continues to point upward. Who knows what a good performance against the Bears on Sunday could do for him?