Dolphins Impressed NFC Champs in the Summer

The Miami Dolphins didn't face either of the Super Bowl LVII participants during the regular season, but they did rout the Philadephia Eagles in the preseason.

That game, however, was relatively meaningless in terms of team evaluation because the Dolphins used their starter for that final preseason matchup and the Eagles went the opposite route.

What actually had more meaning was the one joint practice the teams had at the Baptist Health Training Complex during the week before the Dolphins bowed out of the second practice because several of their players got sick and head coach Mike McDaniel wanted to err on the side of caution.

But in that one practice, where there was no such thing as resting a large group of healthy players, the Dolphins made a big impression on the Eagles.

The summer encounter came up Monday during Super Bowl Opening Night when Eagles veteran defensive end Brandon Graham was asked about that joint practice.

Brandon Graham was just talking to someone on IG Live from SB Media Day, and said during the joint practices the #Eagles had with the #Dolphins, the teams were thinking that they’d be meeting each other in the Super Bowl, “but Tua didn’t hold up as much.” pic.twitter.com/p1EPGtCOND
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) February 7, 2023

We don't need to rehash the Dolphins season and how they once were fighting for the No. 1 seed in the AFC before the late-season slump, the injury that knocked Tua Tagovailoa out of action for January, and the subsequent playoff loss at Buffalo.

But Graham had reason to be impressed by the Dolphins because, as we chronicled at the time, the Dolphins more than held their own during that one joint practice — actually "won" the practice if any kind of score had been kept.

Since the Eagles were pegged before the season as a legit contender after coming off a playoff appearance and with the best set of offensive/defensive lines in the NFL, that the Dolphins did so well in the joint practice was a positive sign heading into the regular season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE OTHER DOLPHINS-EAGLES JOINT PRACTICES

That was quite a contrast from the previous time the Dolphins practiced with/against the Eagles, which ironically also happened in a season that ended with Philadelphia playing in the Super Bowl.

Yes, the Dolphins conducted joint practices with the Eagles when they won the Super Bowl in the 2017 season, those practices taking place in Philadelphia.

That summer, it was the Eagles who completely dominated the action during two joint practices ahead of their preseason game, which Philadelphia won 38-31.

As was the case this summer, the Eagles were expected to have success during that 2017 season — even if few saw them going all the way to the first Super Bowl title in franchise history, particularly after starting quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a late-season knee injury.

That the Dolphins performed so much better in the 2022 joint practice with an eventual Super Bowl participant should have been seen as a precursor to their successful season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Dolphins news and analysis year-round. Also, you can follow me on Twitter at @PoupartNFL, and that's where you can ask questions for the regular All Dolphins mailbags. You also can ask questions via email at fnalldolphins@yahoo.com.