South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
New cast, but same problems plague Dolphins
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (14 of 17 for 100 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, 91.2 passer rating) almost epitomized the Dolphins’ night with his mixed bag of results in a five-possession outing.
The Miami Dolphins have different players, but somehow the same issues from last year linger heading into the regular season.
After Friday night’s second preseason game, a 27-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers, it has become clear that Adam Gase’s team remains anemic on offense, leaky on defense, and lacks overall discipline.
So basically, everything is status quo so far.
The Dolphins have three weeks and two more preseason games to get prepared for their Sept. 9 home opener against the Tennessee Titans, and there are plenty of issues to fix.
Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s stock up, stock down report from Friday night’s loss to the Panthers:
Stock up
Cornerback Xavien Howard pulled down an interception in the first quarter of Friday’s game, continuing his impressive summer. Howard’s been so dominant in camp he’s pushing for recognition as Miami’s top player, not just defender.
■ Defensive end Robert Quinn got the best of Carolina’s Matt Kalil twice, beating the Panthers’ 2012 Pro Bowl left tackle for two sacks. Quinn continues to prove he’ll be a good complement working on the other side of Cameron Wake.
■ Safety Maurice Smith earned a spot on the Dolphins’ 53-man regular-season roster last preseason by putting together a couple solid games, and Friday night’s seven-tackle, oneinterception performance against the Panthers was likely enough to extend his South Florida stay this year, forcing Miami to keep at least five safeties on the
53-man roster.
Stock down
Cornerback Cordrea Tankersley’s performance was hold-your-nose bad. The Dolphins’ 2017 thirdround pick, who at one point was competing to remain a starter for this defense, struggled with ball awareness, which has been an issue with him since his college days at Clemson. Tankersley contributed four tackles after allowing four receptions.
■ Quarterback David Fales could have all but locked up the role as Ryan Tannehill’s backup with a strong performance against the Panthers, but the NFL journeyman completed
1-of-6 passes for 6 yards, and threw an interception when Corn Elder, a former University of Miami standout, brought down a tipped pass. That means Fales’ dismal performance keeps the door open for Brock Osweiler, who completed
10-of-13 passes for 68 yards.
■ Raekwon McMillan is suppose to help Miami’s linebacker unit settle down, and rebound from a dismal
2017 season, which he missed because of a seasonending knee injury he suffered in his first preseason game last year. But McMillan got burned a couple of times in the run and passing game by the Panthers. He could be spotted many times during Friday night’s game guessing wrong and taking bad angles, contributing to Miami’s lackluster gap integrity.
Observations
Miami’s defense is allowing an average of 402 yards per game in the preseason, and only five teams are allowing more so far. The Dolphins are giving up 26.5 points per game in the preseason, and both opponents have scored on their first offensive drive.
■ The Dolphins offense is averaging 22 points per game, but Miami’s starters haven’t produced a touchdown in the first two games, which have been filled with plenty of offensive penalties. Gase’s unit has also converted the fewest third downs (4 of 24) in the preseason.
■ Kenyan Drake gained 54 rushing yards on eight carries against the Panthers, and one of them featured him evading a tackle in the backfield and out sprinting Carolina’s entire defense for a 31-yard gain. Drake also showcased his improved blocking against the Panthers.
■ Newly signed defensive tackle Kendall Langford played in his first game with the Dolphins despite not practicing with the team and contributed two tackles in Miami’s hockey-like Dline rotation. Langford, a
10-year veteran who served as a starter with the Dolphins in his first four seasons in the NFL, has two weeks to impress Miami’s coaches before a decision must be made to keep him, or go with a younger, and likely cheaper player.
Injury report
Defensive end Williams Hayes has been sidelined the past two weeks because of a hamstring strain, but will likely return to practice this week or next.
■ Receiver Kenny Stills was held out of practice last week because of a lingering ankle injury. It’s unclear if he’ll return this week.
■ Receiver DeVante Parker has a broken finger that might force him to miss the next three weeks of practice.
■ Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips missed the second preseason game because of a shoulder injury.
■ Linebacker Mike Hull is sidelined for a few more weeks with an MCL sprain in his knee.
■ Cornerback Tony Lippett missed his second preseason game because of an ankle injury he suffered during training camp.
■ Tight end MarQueis Gray and rookie tailback Kalen Ballage are in the NFL’s concussion protocol, which means they can’t practice until they enter the second stage of the program, and can’t play in a game until they are medically cleared by independent doctors.
■ Backup center Jake Brendel has practiced only once because of calf injury he suffered in the opening day of training camp. At this point it is hard to envision Brendel returning to Miami’s 53-man roster unless he begins the season on injured reserve. That means Miami needs to get Ted Larsen ready to serve as Daniel Kilgore’s backup at center.