Dolphins Preseason Finale Snap Count Observations

We are diving into the playing time and its implications for Channing Tindall, Patrick Paul, and the quarterbacks.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) hands off to running back Jaylen Wright (25) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter during preseason at Raymond James Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

What stood out regarding play counts in the Miami Dolphins' 24-14 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their preseason finale on Friday night looked an awful lot like the preseason opener.

The Dolphins actually topped their whopping 40 "inactive" players with one more — yep, 41 players did not see action against the Buccaneers.

The list of "inactives" consisted of (in numerical order): QB Tua Tagovailoa, OLB Bradley Chubb, WR Odell Beckham Jr., CB Kader Kohou, CB Jalen Ramsey, LB Anthony Walker Jr., S Jevon Holland, TE Jonnu Smith, WR Tyreek Hill, LB David Long Jr., LB Jaelan Phillips, WR Jaylen Waddle, WR Erik Ezukanma, LB Jordyn Brooks, S Jordan Poyer, CB Cam Smith, RB De'Von Achane, CB Kendall Fuller, FB Alec Ingold, RB Raheem Mostert, LB Emmanuel Ogbah, LB Cameron Goode, OL Aaron Brewer, T Kendall Lamm, T Terron Armstead, T Austin Jackson, OL Liam Eichenberg, OL Isaiah Wynn, TE Tanner Conner, TE Durham. Smythe, WR River Cracraft, WR Braylon Sanders, TE Julian Hill, DT DaShawn Hand, DT Zach Sieler, DT Calais Campbell, and DT Benito Jones.

The most prominent players who saw action were offensive linemen Robert Jones and Lester Cotton, wide receiver Braxton Berrios, running back Jeff Wilson Jr., cornerback Nik Needham, and first-round pick Chop Robinson. Berrios and Wilson's presence in the lineup would seem to suggest their spot on the 53-man roster isn't locked down.

DOLPHINS OFFENSE OBSERVATIONS

• We'll start with the quarterback position (because it's the most prominent), where Skylar Thompson had the better outing between him and Mike White in their battle for the No. 2 job. But we did find it odd that White wasn't given the entire first half before the team made the switch. As a result, and also because Thompson sustained more drives, the snap count between the two was lopsided — 45 to 18 for Thompson.

• For the second time in three preseason games, rookie second-round pick Patrick Paul went the whole way at left tackle. It still says here that, ideally, this would be the last action he sees during the 2024 season other than maybe mop-up duty because he does need more seasoning — even though he does look like a really good prospect.

• The other offensive lineman who got extensive action was free agent pick-up Jack Driscoll, who ended up playing 57 of 63 snaps. However, some of that might have been necessitated by the foot/ankle injury that knocked Ryan Hayes out of action after only six snaps for him. In any case, Driscoll didn't do his chances of earning a bigger (maybe starting?) role on offense many favors.

• The Dolphins had only two tight ends active, and Jody Fortson, Jr. led the snap count with 43 compared to 33 for rookie free agent Hayden Rucci. It is Rucci who looks like the much stronger candidate to stick around.

• At running back, it seemed a tad surprising to see rookie Jaylen Wright lead the way with 29 snaps when the Dolphins should have a pretty good idea of what they have in the speedy fourth-round pick.

• Lastly, at wide receiver, bottom-of-the-depth chart players Kyric McGowan, JeQuan Burton, and Mike Harley Jr. dominated the snaps, and it was surprising to see Berrios even get any reps.

DOLPHINS DEFENSE OBSERVATIONS

• The most noteworthy snap count on defense was that of Channing Tindall, who played all 53 snaps, along with 12 on special teams.

• While Mike McDaniel praised his work after the game, this usually is not an encouraging development for a player regarding his roster prospects.

• One mitigating factor was the lack of depth at the off-the-ball linebacker spot, and newcomer Dequan Jackson arrived just earlier in the week.

• Among the cornerbacks, Ethan Bonner led the way with 40 snaps, which is interesting given the perception that his spot on the roster was more secure than that of the three rookie free agents — Jason Maitre, Isaiah Johnson, and Storm Duck. Perhaps Bonner isn't quite as much of a lock as perceived?

• While closing his first NFL preseason, the Dolphins gave Chop Robinson a total of 24 defensive snaps, including going after the Bucs' first-team offense. The finale was a good experience for him.

• After getting a good workload in the first two preseason games, early training camp sensation Quinton Bell played only seven snaps on defense and two more on special teams. That is not encouraging unless some injury was a factor.

• On special teams, linebacker Curtis Bolton led the way with 20 snaps, with Wyatt Ray second with 15. Bolton, who also had 40 snaps, still looks like a long shot to make the 53-man roster, but he made a good case for himself throughout the summer.