Dolphins Preseason Opener Snap Count Observations

The full rundown of who didn't play, Paul's heavy workload and Wright's efficient use of snaps from the 20-13 victory against the Atlanta Falcons

Miami Dolphins running back Jeff Wilson Jr. runs with the football against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

What stood out in terms of play counts in the Miami Dolphins' 20-13 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in their preseason opener at Hard Rock Stadium probably had more to do with those who didn't play snaps.

Because of a combination of injuries or veteran rest, the Dolphins ended up sitting 40 players for the game, up from the 34 who sat out the 2023 preseason opener against those same Falcons.

The complete list of those who did not play consisted of (in numerical order): WR Braxton Berrios, QB Tua Tagovailoa, LB 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 Salvon Ahmed, RB De'VonAchane, CB Kendall Fuller, FB Alec Ingold, RB Raheem Mostert, LB Chop Robinson, LB Mohamed Kamara, LB Emmanuel Ogbah, LB Cameron Goode, OL Aaron Brewer, OL Robert Jones, T Kendall Lamm, T Terron Armstead, T Austin Jackson, OL Liam Eichenberg, OL Isaiah Wynn, TE Durham Smythe, WR Anthony Schwartz, TE Julian Hill, DT Zach Sieler, DT Calais Campbell, DT Teair Tart, DT Benito Jones

As we indicated in our postgame instant takeaways, the only player listed on the first team on the depth chart who played in the game, other than the specialists obviously, was linebacker Quinton Bell.

DOLPHINS OFFENSE OBSERVATIONS

--We have to start here with rookie left tackle Patrick Paul, who got a full dose of action. Paul was in the starting lineup and played 63 of the Dolphins' 68 offensive snaps, turning in a very good performance in the process. This was a win-win in terms of resting Armstead and Lamm and getting Paul good game reps.

-- Based on his production, you would have thought fellow draft pick Jaylen Wright got a lot of snaps, but he really didn't; it was just a matter of the Dolphins feeding him when he was on the field. Wright ended up with 22 offensive snaps, seven behind the total for fellow running back Chris Brooks. But Wright's number was called half the time he was on the field, with 10 rushing attempts and one target in the passing game.

-- For those keeping score, the two quarterback each got a full half, but the snap count wasn't totally even for Skylar Thompson (37 snaps) and Mike White (31).

-- Much has been made of the, um, pedestrian performance by Mike White, who was 4-for-14 with a passer rating of 39.6, but it should be noted he played most of the second half with wide receivers who weren't on the team at the start of camp. Those would include Kyric McGowan, who led all wide receivers with 40 offensive snaps and Willie Snead IV, who played 39 snaps and continued having problems catching the ball.

-- On the flip side, Thompson got more playing time with rookie sixth-round pick Malik Washington, who finished with 26 snaps, and he got all of River Cracraft's 17 snaps.

-- Final note on offense involves Dominican tackle Bayron Matos, who got into the action at the end and got eight snaps to get his feet wet.

DOLPHINS DEFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- Linebacker Curtis Bolton, a training camp acquisition, ended up leading all Miami players in defensive snaps, but that partly was due to Ezekiel Vandenburgh leaving the game in the first half with an injury.

-- The biggest story at linebacker was Channing Tindall getting 53 of the 71 defensive snaps as he fights to keep his spot on the 53-man roster. That he played so much certainly would seem to suggest he has to earn his roster spot.

-- It was Tindall who led the way in defensive snaps with 40, followed by fellow inside linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. with 35. Those two possibly. might be involved in a battle for one of the last roster spots at their position. It should be noted also that Miller led the entire team in special teams snaps with 12.

-- With the team's top cornerbacks sitting out, Siran Neal and Ethan Bonner got the start in the secondary. Neal was very effective in his 18 snaps, while Bonner played 33. The three rookie free agents got the most snaps at cornerback — 53 for Storm Duck, and 38 apiece for Isaiah Johnson and Jason Maitre.

-- Finally, we look at the interesting night for Bell, who ended up playing a modest 15 snaps on defense but got a whopping 25 on special teams. Two other players had 21 special teams snaps, Duck and Brooks, but Bell looks like he's closer to making the 53-man roster and maybe the Dolphins wanted to test him out to see what kind of contributor he can be on that unit in 2024.