Dolphins vs. Bengals: 13 Players to Watch ... How They Did

When the Miami Dolphins closed out their preseason schedule at Cincinnati on Sunday, most of their front-line players sat out.

But it was a big game for those involved in the battle for the final roster spots — however many spots actually might have been undecided — and it also was a chance for some of the younger players to establish some momentum heading into the regular season.

With that in mind, here was our customary look at the players to watch — as always, we went with 13 of them — with an update on how each of them performed in the 29-26 victory.

RB GERRID DOAKS

BEFORE THE GAME: The rookie seventh-round pick has flashed intriguing potential as a runner since arriving for OTAs in the spring, but catching the ball has been an issue and it ultimately might prove his downfall if he ends up not making the initial 53-man roster. He figures to get a lot of playing time against the Bengals and it would help his cause to show the ability to catch the ball with ease.

IN THE GAME: It hardly could have been a better homecoming for Doaks, who had his best performance of the summer. Doaks ran hard, finishing with 56 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. He also showed nimble feet when he made a quick jump cut on his longest run of the game, good for 14 yards. He did not have a catch. Whether the performance will be good enough to earn him a roster spot is hard to tell, but it certainly won't hurt his chances.

WR KIRK MERRITT

BEFORE THE GAME: Merritt just completed his second training camp after signing with the Dolphins as a rookie free agent, and he looked like an NFL wide receiver this summer after spending last year on the practice squad. He still might have a tough time making the 53-man roster, but he could give the Dolphins even more to think about with a good game against the Bengals.

IN THE GAME: It wasn't a perfect outing for Merritt, who did drop a catchable pass near the sideline, was called for offensive pass interference and had a fourth-down pass thrown behind him deflect off his hand for an interception. But he again showed playmaking ability, most notably when he got behind the Cincinnati secondary for a 44-yard touchdown after a quick stutter-step move near the line of scrimmage. It says here that Merritt will begin the 2021 season on somebody's 53-man roster.

TE HUNTER LONG

BEFORE THE GAME: Long made his preseason debut against Atlanta, which was remarkable in itself given how scary his practice knee injury appeared. He has looked good in practice since his return, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to see him build on that in a preseason game.

IN THE GAME: It was a rather uneventful game for Long, who played 35 snaps and had one catch for 8 yards. The most noteworthy play, unfortunately, came when he failed to come up with the reception on a long throw from Reid Sinnett that definitely was catchable.

C MATT SKURA

BEFORE: The acquisition of center/guard Greg Mancz in a trade with Baltimore on Saturday is not a good sign for Skura, who clearly is in a battle for a roster spot after signing as an unrestricted free agent in the spring. It goes without saying he needs to have a good game in the preseason finale.

IN THE GAME: Skura started and played the first 24 snaps and a review of the game showed a pretty solid performance overall. Whether that was enough to secure a roster spot, though, remains to be seen.

G ROBERT JONES

BEFORE THE GAME: There's a lot of competition for the final one or two roster spots on the offensive line, and the rookie free agent gets one last chance to make his case for the active roster — though he certainly would seem to be a good candidate for the practice squad.

IN THE GAME: The rookie free agent played every snap on offense and definitely looked like he belonged, even though he did have a false start. Given the already high number of young players on the offensive line, the best guess here is that Jones winds up on the practice squad.

T GREG LITTLE

BEFORE THE GAME: Little has had his moments in practice since arriving almost two weeks ago in a trade with Carolina, and he could give the Dolphins something to think about in terms of his role with a good outing at Cincinnati.

IN THE GAME: Little didn't look quite as impressive as he did against Cincinnati, but he still had a relatively clean game after replacing Adam Pankey at left tackle.

T AUSTIN JACKSON

BEFORE THE GAME: We hate to keep going back to Jackson, but it absolutely needs to be said that he did not look good in either of the two preseason games and absolutely, positively needs to have a strong performance here.

IN THE GAME: The Dolphins ended up deciding against playing any of their projected starting offensive linemen except for guard Solomon Kindley, so Jackson didn't get the chance for the bounce-back game.

G DURVAL QUEIROZ NETO

BEFORE THE GAME: It's looking like a third consecutive season on the practice squad for the Brazilian import unless he can produce the kind of performance that would give Dolphins coaches a reason to rethink their position.

IN THE GAME: Queiroz finished off the game after Kindley played the first 17 snaps and he totally looked the part of an NFL offensive lineman. His work was particularly impressive in the run game, though he held his own in pass protection as well.

DE JASON STROWBRIDGE

BEFORE THE GAME: The 2020 fifth-round pick had an awfully quiet rookie season and he hasn't done much this summer to stand out. The reality is that he might find himself squeezed out of the 53-man roster if he doesn't make things happen against the Bengals.

IN THE GAME: Strowbridge played 47 of the 71 defensive snaps and was credited with four tackles, but he was hardly noticeable. He did break into the backfield on one running play but couldn't bring down the ball carrier. Nothing has changed regarding his status when it comes to the 53-man roster.

LB JAELAN PHILLIPS

BEFORE THE GAME: This is purely about establishing some momentum heading into the regular season. Phillips most likely will be a significant role as a rookie, but he did miss some time in training camp and then had a rather forgettable preseason debut against Atlanta.

IN THE GAME: Phillips played 29 snaps against the Bengals and was used in a wide variety of ways, from setting the edge, to having his hand on the ground to dropping back into coverage. He did have one impressive play when he didn't bite on a play fake and went straight to quarterback Brandon Allen for a QB pressure that forced an incompletion. But anyone looking for a lot of splash plays for the first-round pick came away disappointed.

LB SHAQUEM GRIFFIN

BEFORE THE GAME: It's one last chance for Griffin, who said last week this has been his best training camp, to show he belongs on the 53-man roster.

IN THE GAME: Griffin played 36 snaps on defense and showed great effort, but he just didn't make very much happen outside of one play when he held up at the line of scrimmage and allowed Strowbridge to make the tackle on a running play from the back side.

CB NOAH IGBINOGHENE

BEFORE THE GAME: Until he arrives or comes close to being a finished product, Igbinoghene always is going to be in the spotlight — fair or not — because of his status as a 2020 first-round pick. There have been encouraging signs at times this summer, but also times that show there's still a lot of work to be done.

IN THE GAME: As proof that Igbinoghene just needs reps, the Dolphins had him play every snap on defense along with some kickoff returns. His highlight obviously was his pass breakup on Cincinnati's final offensive play when he had great coverage downfield. He also had an impressive tackle for loss on a swing pass to the running back, though there were some issues in coverage, particularly when he got himself blocked out of position on a short crossing route.

CB TRILL WILLIAMS

BEFORE THE GAME: If we're being honest, the chances of Williams making the 53-man roster aren't very good, but that's got more to do with the numbers at the position than what he's shown. Williams is, simply put, a very intriguing prospect because of his size and his skill set. This is somebody the Dolphins probably would want to keep around on the practice squad, though his going unclaimed if he's indeed waived before Tuesday at 4 p.m. is far from a sure thing.

IN THE GAME: Williams got surprisingly little playing time (unless he was injured at some point) with only 18 of the 71 defensive snaps. He did give up Cincinnati's second-longest completion of the game, but his coverage actually was pretty good on that 32-yard reception by Michael Thomas on just a perfect throw by Kyle Shurmur. Williams showed his physical side when he raced in from the boundary to stop a running back at full speed after a short gain. The practice squad remains the logical landing spot for Williams.