Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: Dolphins Best and Worst Preseason Performers

The Miami Dolphins’ final preseason game of the season was an important one for so many players. Several starters got to play together for the first time, and the team’s depth players got one last chance to compete for a coveted roster spot.

With cutdown day on Tuesday looming, let’s look at which players deserve a thumbs-up or thumbs-down for their performance during the entire preseason and on Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Thumbs Up: WR Malik Washington

Malik Washington’s performance during the preseason might have earned him a significant role in the team’s offense. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played against the Bears and Jaguars during the preseason, and it was clear that Washington was one of the few receivers with whom he had real chemistry.

Washington caught Tua’s only touchdown pass against the Jaguars and caught all four of his targets against the Bears.

Miami Dolphins WR Malik Washington scored the team's first touchdown against Jacksonville in the preseason finale. — Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington (6) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

We should point out that Tyreek Hill did not play at all during the preseason, and that Jaylen Waddle only played limited reps against the Jaguars. Still, Washington gives Miami a quality traditional slot option.

The former Virginia product is quick, tough, and growing as a route runner. He might be the player who gets a lot of the short-area touch targets vacated by Jonnu Smith.

The best way to look at Washington is as a complement to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. NWI is a big slot receiver who will bring a lot of value to the running game, but he’s not a dynamic player with the ball in his hands.

Between Washington, NWI, and potentially tight end Darren Waller, the Dolphins have a slot option for just about any personnel grouping or situation.

Thumbs Down: Miami’s “Starting” Offense

The Dolphins were forced to leave a lot of their starting offense on the field for three drives against the Jaguars because the first two drives were three-and-outs.

Now, the Dolphins didn’t have De’Von Achane, Hill and Austin Jackson (Darren Waller also), so it wasn’t exactly their best lineup. Still, Jacksonville sat practically every notable player on its roster, so even this version of the Dolphins’ offense should have looked better.

Tua was sacked twice on the opening drives — one was a miscommunication between Larry Borom and either the call or his fellow lineman. The other had a few things going on, including James Daniels being a second late to his assignment, Tua bobbling the snap, and the receivers not being open when Tua stepped up.

The group was better against the Bears for sure, but given this was its longest stretch on the field together, it’s fair to say it has a lot to iron out. Our overall concern about the offense is incredibly low, but it wasn’t a great showing, especially on Saturday.

Thumbs Up: CB Jason Marshall Jr.

Miami’s fifth-round pick might end up being the biggest winner from the preseason. The Florida product was buried on the depth chart at the start of camp, but through injuries and his own improvement, he’s climbed into a potential starting spot.

Marshall got a lot of slot reps against the Lions in Week 2 and performed pretty well. Miami rewarded him with the starting slot spot against Jacksonville, and Marshall appeared to handle it well.

Miami Dolphins fifth-round pick Jason Marshall Jr. talks to the media on the first day of rookie minicamp — Miami Dolphins 2025 fifth-round pick Jason Marshall Jr. | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

The regular season will be a huge challenge, but Mike Hilton, whom Miami brought in to be the starting slot, ran with the backups on Saturday night. Marshall seems to have passed the veteran because of his athletic upside and surprising willingness to take on contact.

Marshall becoming a starting-caliber cornerback would be a huge boon for the Dolphins for now and the future. The team’s cornerback need isn’t going away after this season, but perhaps their need for a slot cornerback will.

Thumbs Down: RB Jaylen Wright

Jaylen Wright has been a victim of unfortunate circumstances this preseason. Most recently, he was injured during the Dolphins’ joint practice against Jacksonville, and coach Mike McDaniel described the injury as “week to week.”

That’s a tough blow for a second-year player who was looking to make a significant jump in play after an underwhelming rookie season.

On the field, Wright struggled to get anything going in his limited preseason carries. It should be pointed out that Wright’s blocking was much worse than the other backs on Miami’s roster, but he also had a fumble against the Lions and wasn’t perfect behind the line.

What’s really put the pressure on Wright is Ollie Gordon’s performance (we’ll get to that). Whether it’s fair to Wright or not, Gordon looked much better with the ball in his hands throughout the preseason.

The Tennessee product has had some tough breaks this summer. Hopefully, he can get healthy and get back into the rotation sooner rather than later.

Thumbs Up: RB Ollie Gordon II

If there were an award for the top performer from Miami’s preseason games, Gordon would probably win. The sixth-round pick from Oklahoma State has impressed in just about every way, leading to a fair conversation about whether he should overtake Wright at RB2.

Gordon runs incredibly hard, and he’s shown much better vision than his final season at Oklahoma State. He’s also made several good pickups in pass protection, including two on Saturday night that led to a third- and fourth-down conversion.

The Dolphins need a running back who can pick up tough yards, especially after Alexander Mattison’s season-ending neck injury, so there’s a role for Gordon, whether he’s RB2 or RB3 this season.

Gordon was once considered a top-50 pick after he dominated college football in 2023, so he’s always had the ability to be a high-level contributor. The only question was whether his dropoff in 2024 was permanent.

It’s early, and the preseason is notoriously bad for evaluation purposes, but Gordon looks much closer to his 2023 form than 2024.

Thumbs Down: Miami’s Tight Ends

There’s a whole conversation to be had about how valuable the tight end position needs to be for Miami to be successful this season, but setting that aside, this group has not performed well.

Darren Waller spent basically all of camp on PUP, so he kind of gets a pass, but his situation is a huge question mark.

As for the players on the field, Julian Hill was underwhelming in his appearance against the Bears, and then didn’t play in the last two games. Reports out of camp aren’t exactly flattering for him, either.

Pharaoh Brown was brought in to be a blocker specialist and push Hill for a starting spot, but the results have been mixed at best. Brown still doesn’t look comfortable handling motion responsibilities before the snap and has struggled to secure blocks.

Tanner Conner put up quality numbers against the Lions, but he’s also dropped a few passes in games and practices, while continuing to struggle as a blocker.

Hayden Rucci, who might not even make the 53-man roster, might be the best blocking tight end on the team. Rucci has improved, but that’s also an indictment on this group’s performance.

Miami can replace production in the receiving game basically at will, but it needs to get something out of this group in the running game, and right now, that’s not looking overly great.

Thumbs Up: Rookie Defense Tackles

Miami spent three picks on the interior of the defensive line this offseason, and all three have flashed during the summer.

Kenneth Grant’s power and effort shone through during his appearances against the Bears and Lions, while Jordan Phillips looks like the potential long-term starting nose tackle the team thought he could be when they drafted him.

Biggers is on the roster bubble, but he’s also played well enough to make it, which is a win for a player selected in the seventh round. At worst, he should land on the team’s practice squad.

The Dolphins needed to inject some youth into this room after relying on Calais Campbell so much in 2024, and the early returns look promising.

These players will have consistency issues in Year 1; that’s just the way it is for rookies, but all three look like they belong at the NFL level — that’s all you can ask for at this point in the season.

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