Miami Dolphins 2026 Week 5 Snap Counts Stories: Injuries Cause Shuffling

What stood out regarding play counts in the Miami Dolphins' 31-24 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday:

We'll start with the list of inactives, which was highlighted by four players missing the game with injuries, including wide receiver Caleb Douglas out for a third consecutive game with an ankle injury.

The only Dolphins player who was active but did not play was backup quarterback Kyle McCord.

Since we've been keeping track every game, the starting lineup was back to six rookies Will Kacmarek at tight end, Chris Bell at wide receiver, guard Kadyn Proctor, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Michael Taaffe.

DOLPHINS OFFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- The Dolphins opened with two tight ends and two wide receivers, which was why rookie fullback DJ Herman didn't get a start.

-- After the Dolphins had only 39 offensive snaps against Minnesota, that number jumped to a lot more respectable 66 against the Bengals.

-- After playing fewer snaps than Kacmarek against Minnesota, Greg Dulcich got a very heavy work load in Week 5 with 49 offensive snaps. That was his second-highest total of the season behind the 51 he played against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 3 home opener.

-- Besides QB Malik Wilis and the offensive linemen, the player with the most offensive snaps was wide receiver Malik Washington with 53, yet another indication of his value.

-- At running back, practice squad elevation Carlos Washington Jr. got as many offensive snaps at Jaylen Wright, who continues to struggle to find his footing in his third season with the Dolphins. Ollie Gordon II got 43 snaps firmly established as the No. 1 back in the absence of De'Von Achane.

-- Jonah Savaiinaea ended up playing 18 snaps before leaving the game with an ankle injury and being replaced by Jarrett Kingston for the final 48 snaps at right guard.

-- Rookie tight end Seydou Traore got his first offensive snap against the Bengals after being used exclusively on special teams in the first four games — but it was only one.

DOLPHINS DEFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- With Jordyn Brooks, JuJu Brents and Michael Taaffe all temporarily leaving the game with injuries, Jacob Rodriguez and Dante Trader Jr. became the only players who played every snap on defense.

-- 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant made his return to action but played a very modest 16 defensive snaps, which probably made sense in helping him work his way back into the action. That number better increase once the Dolphins return from their bye, though.

-- The Dolphins opened the game in the nickel and played a good portion of the game with that five-DB alignment, with Chris Johnson Jr. playing 64 of the 65 snaps and Jason Marshall also played 57 snaps.

-- Josh Uche, who's become the most effective edge defender on the team, got the snap count to reflect that, with 45 snaps compared to 36 for Chop Robinson. Practice squad elevation Rodney McGraw played 14 snaps, not far behind Malik Herring.

-- With Brooks leaving the game temporarily, Willie Gay Jr. got extra work at linebacker and finished with 37 snaps, his highest total since the opener against the Las Vegas Raiders when the Dolphins used a lot more three-linebacker looks.

-- With Brents missing some snaps when he was banged up, newcomer Jaylin Simpson got five snaps on defense and had a nice third-down pass breakup against Ja'Marr Chase.

-- Because of the injuries, only four non-specialists saw action only on special teams, down from eight against Minnesota. This time it was Andre Jones Jr., Julius Wood, Marcellus Dial Jr. and Andrew Meyer.

-- Speaking of special teams, Traore again led the way with 21 snaps, followed by 17 for Jones and 15 for McGraw.

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