Virtually all starters rest in preseason finale
CINCINNATI — Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores said entering Sunday’s preseason finale at the Cincinnati Bengals that many of the starters would sit. Before kickoff, pregame warmups revealed it was just about every offensive and defensive starter.
In lieu of the usual pregame announcement of inactives on Sunday, the Dolphins merely released “many players are not expected to play” to wrap up the exhibition portion of the schedule at Paul Brown Stadium two weeks before Miami begins the regular season at the New England Patriots in Week 1.
Flores had previously indicated that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and offensive lineman Jesse Davis, who spent training camp and preseason at right tackle protecting the left-handed Tagovailoa’s blind side, would be among those resting.
Top offensive playmakers in running back Myles Gaskin, tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receivers DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, Albert Wilson and rookie Jaylen Waddle were also held out.
Parker, Fuller and Wilson missed all three preseason exhibition games.
Deeper among backs and pass catchers that didn’t play: Running backs Malcolm Brown and Salvon Ahmed, tight ends Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe and receivers Jakeem Grant and Mack Hollins. Hollins was dressed and the team’s lone captain pregame.
Third-year wideout Preston Williams provided a welcome sight as he started after missing the first two exhibition outings and starting training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list due to the right foot injury that ended his 2020 season.
Rookie seventh-round pick Gerrid Doaks, making a homecoming as a Cincinnati alum, started at running back and scored two first-half touchdowns in some familiar surroundings.
Rookie offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg was not dressed after sustaining an injury during the week of practice. The one potential starting offensive lineman that played was left guard Solomon Kindley as Davis, right guard Robert Hunt, center Michael Deiter and left tackle Austin Jackson all sat. Adam Pankey started at left tackle, where recent trade acquisition Greg Little also saw action, and rookie Larnel Coleman was at right tackle. Robert Jones started at right guard.
Virtually every defensive starter did not play, including top cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, safety Eric Rowe, linebackers Jerome Baker, Andrew Van Ginkel and Benardrick McKinney and defensive linemen Emmanuel Ogbah, Raekwon Davis and Christian Wilkins.
Rookie outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips started and saw plenty of playing time in his second exhibition after missing the preseason opener. Inside linebacker Elandon Roberts, who took first-team practice reps this past week upon his return from the PUP list on Aug. 19, was dressed pregame, stretched but was not seen participating.
Nickel cornerback Justin Coleman did not play, but Nik Needham, who works both in the slot and outside on the boundary, started and saw significant playing time. Defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter, who missed all of last season with an offseason right leg injury and nearly all of 2019 after a foot injury he suffered in that opener, was among defensive starters on Sunday.