The Miami Dolphins officially wrapped up preseason with a 17-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons . The Dolphins rested most of their starters as this game was more about deciding who will earn the final spots on the 53-man roster. The final cuts are this Sunday, so tonight was the final opportunity for players on the bubble to show the Miami coaching staff and front office that they deserve a spot on the depth chart.
There were both positive and negative moments for the Dolphins on both sides of the football, with both glaring strengths and weaknesses. Here are five key takeaways from the Dolphins' final preseason game.
The Dolphins rested both Malik Willis and Quinn Ewers against Atlanta, shifting the spotlight to Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski once again. Miller played the first half while Gronowski played the second.
Both quarterbacks unfortunately had to deal with poor protection, a nonexistent running game and drops by wide receivers, making it tough to judge a legitimate competition. Neither quarterback was able to lead a touchdown drive, as the Dolphins' 12 points came on four field goals.
Miller completed 7-of-16 attempts for 71 yards. Miller made some nice throws despite the lackluster stat sheet, but he struggled to find open receivers consistently and held onto the football too long on multiple occasions. He showed mobility when the pocket collapsed, but it didn't result in many big plays.
Gronowski completed 4-of-8 pass attempts for 97 yards. His longest pass was a 33-yard strike to Terrace Marshall Jr. on a big third-down play. Gronowski also showed the ability to make plays with his legs, totaling 28 rushing yards on four attempts, with his longest carry going for 14 yards. He did not hesitate to lean on his running ability when the pocket collapsed, or there was nowhere to go with the ball.
Gronowski unfortunately had a golden opportunity to connect with Jalen Reagor for a touchdown of 53 yards, but just slightly overthrew the veteran wideout. If he had made this play, it could have decisively won him the day.
Willis and Ewers are locks to be the top two quarterbacks on the roster, making this final preseason game the last chance for Miller and Gronowski to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. The Dolphins will likely keep one of Miller or Gronowski around, but almost certainly not both.
The Dolphins made sure to feature rookie wideout Chris Bell early and often in this game. After tearing his ACL last season at Louisville, it was unclear when Bell would be ready to suit up. He appears ahead of schedule as he joined full-contact drills earlier this week and appears to be ready for regular-season action.
The Miami offense opened the game with a quick strike from Miller to Bell for a 4-yard pickup. On the Dolphins' next drive, Miller hit Bell again for an 18-yard gain, which set up the Dolphins in field goal range. While those were Bell's only two catches, he was targeted five times in the first half. Clearly getting him involved was a focal point for the offense ahead of this game.
Bell's workload in the preseason finale suggests the team wants him ready for regular season action. The Dolphins subtracted from the WR group this week as the team cut Tahj Washington and traded Tutu Atwell back to the Rams .
It is still unclear how exactly this Dolphins receiver group will shake out as the regular season approaches. Without a clear-cut No. 1 wideout, it could come down to who makes the plays when given the opportunity.
This wide receiver group has been a mystery this off-season. It appears the top options for Malik Willis leading up to the season will be Jalen Tolbert , Malik Washington , and Caleb Douglas, along with Bell, who appears to be ready for regular-season action.
The Miami defense looked sharp against the running game, allowing a combined 40 rushing yards on 24 attempts (1.7 yards per carry) by the Atlanta offense. This effort against the running game came without any starters on the defensive line, a very good sign for the depth of the front seven.
The effort put forth by the Miami defense against the run helped keep the game within striking distance and the time of possession even.
However, the Falcons offense was able to move the ball with quick, short throws effortlessly. Tua Tagovailoa completed 7-of-8 attempts for 95 yards against his former team. Then Cooper Rush entered the game and completed his first eight pass attempts. Rush finished the game completing 13-of-18 pass attempts for 106 yards and a touchdown. Falcons rookie quarterback Jack Strand also completed an efficient 6-of-7 attempts for 44 yards.
Even though the Atlanta offense didn't expand on this simple short-passing attack, the Dolphins didn't seem to have a good answer for it. If it weren't for two fumble recoveries by the Miami defense in the first half, this game could have been a lot uglier for Miami. Although this was only a preseason game, this is something the defense will need to clean up ahead of regular season action when it counts.
The Dolphins linebacker group continues to excite as the season approaches. With Jordyn Brooks and Jacob Rodriguez sitting this game, Tyrel Dodson and Willie Gay Jr. had the opportunity to make big plays, and they did not disappoint.
Dodson played the entire first half and totaled six tackles and forced a fumble, punching the ball away from Atlanta running back Brian Robinson Jr .
On the Dolphins' previous defensive series, Gay recovered a fumbled snap by Tagovailoa.
Jeff Hafley will have an abundance of options at linebacker this season with a mix of savvy veterans and talented young rookies. The linebacker group is probably the strongest on the Dolphins' roster. Dodson has proved himself as a capable starter for the Dolphins, and Gay seems to consistently make big plays when given the chance to see the field.
Brooks has already been established as one of the key cornerstone players of this franchise, and Rodriguez is a future building block for the Miami defense. But Dodson and Gay are experienced veterans who will be productive pieces on the Miami defense this year. Rodriguez can develop into his role for years to come without the pressure to shine right away.
It was a rough day for the Dolphins' offensive line that lacks quality depth behind the starters
The Dolphins struggled to get anything going consistently in the running game. Between Carlos Washington Jr. and Coleman Bennett, there was nowhere to go for the Miami running backs all game. Washington carried the ball 13 times for 34 yards, while Bennett carried the ball five times for eight yards.
Miami failed to come away with the touchdown at the goal line after two failed rush attempts by Washington followed by a drop in the end zone by Theo Wease Jr.
The Atlanta defense was also pressured the Dolphins quarterbacks consistently. Miller was sacked twice and Gronowski three times. The Dolphins offense relied on Miller and Gronowski to make big throws under pressure or utilize their scrambling ability to move the football.
The Dolphins do not appear to have quality depth on the offensive line after tonight's game, which is not a good sign for an offense still working to build chemistry. Health will be key for this group along with the development of the two young guards, Kadyn Proctor and Jonah Savaiinaea . If any starter goes down for the Dolphins, it could have devastating implications for the offense.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: 5 takeaways from Dolphins preseason finale against Atlanta
