Dolphins Preseason Finale Snap Count Observations

Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill made the most of his very brief appearance against Philadelphia, TE Mike Gesicki had a quiet night, and more snap tidbits

Sam Navarro - USA Today Sports

What stood out in terms of play counts in the Miami Dolphins' 48-10 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles in the preseason finale included the usage of quarterbacks — because it's always about the quarterback — a much lighter work load for tight end Mike Gesicki, and two prominent veterans making their Dolphins debut.

The Dolphins' list of DNP (Did Not Play) players featured 11 names, after it was at 23 for the opener at Tampa Bay and 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

On the flip side, the Eagles clearly were content with their work they got in practice because they kept out a whopping 33 players.

With that, let's dive into the snap count observations:

DOLPHINS OFFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- We'll start at running back and the preseason debut of veteran newcomer Raheem Mostert, clearly a welcome sight and one that would not have been expected at the start of training camp. He ended up playing six snaps, the fewest of the running backs in the lineup, but still found time to flash his speed on a 26-yard run. Above all, though, just seeing him in game action was great news ahead of the regular season.

-- Since we already mentioned the quarterbacks, Skylar Thompson got the most snaps with 31, while Tua Tagovailoa (17) and Teddy Bridgewater (16) spread the rest evenly. The idea of playing Tagovailoa and Bridgewater likely came down to establishing some momentum and gaining even more confidence heading into Sept. 11, and it certainly was mission accomplished in that sense.

-- As was the case against Las Vegas, the Dolphins used their projected starting offensive line minus Terron Armstead, but limited their snap counts to 27 percent of the offensive plays (17 of 64).  Greg Little started at left tackle in Armstead's absence and played 40 snaps in what certainly could be described as an audition to land the top backup job.

-- Maybe the same can be said for Solomon Kindley at guard after he also played 40 snaps, though the feeling is he already had earned a spot on the 53-man roster.

-- After Gesicki's higher-than-expected snap count in the first two games, he ended up playing the fewest among tight ends against the Eagles with only eight, though he did start alongside Durham Smythe. One can ask what happened to the idea of Gesicki needed all the reps he can get as he, as he himself put it, learns a new position. Also understand that if the Dolphins definitely were going to trade him, they would have held him out to make sure he didn't get injured.

-- There was no Jaylen Waddle again at wide receiver and Tyreek Hill was done after three plays, long enough for him to catch the bomb on the first snap and spark an opening touchdown drive.

-- As one would expect in this game, those who got the most snaps at wide receiver, with the exception of rookie fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma — were the roster bubble guys — Braylon Sanders, Mohamed Sanu, Lynn Bowden Jr., Preston Williams and River Cracraft.

DOLPHINS DEFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- As we did on offense, we'll start with the veteran making his debut, in this case Melvin Ingram. The former Chargers, Steelers and Chiefs edge defender played 21 snaps, almost a third of the Eagles' offensive plays. His situation was different than that of Mostert because Ingram isn't coming off a significant knee injury and actually could have gone without playing in the preseason given his experience.

-- Among projected starters, it was second-year safety Jevon Holland who played the most defensive snaps with 24, and we frankly don't quite get that considering the Eagles weren't using any of their front-line offensive players.

-- The snap counts for most of the other projected defensive starters were in the teens, though Raekwon Davis and Jaelan Phillips each played 20 snaps.

-- Rookie free agent cornerback Kader Kohou got the most snaps of any defensive player, which seems logical in that the Dolphins would want to give him a long look before making the decision of whether to keep him on the 53-man roster.

-- The same logic could apply to safety Verone McKinley III and his 41 snaps and the 43 snaps by linebacker Sam Eguavoen, who doesn't seem a lock to be on the roster for a fourth consecutive year.

-- Maybe the most encouraging thing looking at the snap counts on defense was the presence of Nik Needham (24 snaps) after he sustained a finger/hand injury against the Raiders and either was injured again or aggravated during the one joint practice with the Eagles.

-- Of the players on the active roster, cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Byron Jones ended up being the only projected defensive starters who didn't play at all in the preseason. Jones obviously couldn't play because he's still on PUP, though he's been around long enough that he doesn't really need preseason action. The same reasoning applies to Howard, which. is why not one person should complain about keeping him out of harm's way, particularly since he's the most important player on defense.