Studs and duds from the Dolphins' 24-24 preseason tie vs. the Bears
Positives outweighed the negatives for the Miami Dolphins in their 24-24 preseason tie with the Chicago Bears.
While that was helped by the Bears resting the majority of their starters, including quarterback Caleb Williams, the Dolphins still did more than enough to give their fans optimism heading into the 2025 season.
Here's who stood out most for the Dolphins on Sunday and who had a preseason opener to forget:
Stud: First-team offensive line
No, they didn't get the job done near the goal line on their first drive of the game. The list of negatives ends there, though.
With Patrick Paul, James Daniels, and Jonah Savaiinaea taking over three of the starting roles and Larry Borom starting at right tackle in the place of the injured Austin Jackson, the Dolphins offense was rolling early.
The Dolphins are hoping their rebuilt line can produce better results on the ground than the team managed in 2024. It wasn't perfect Sunday, but there's plenty of reason to be optimistic about their chances.
Stud: Washington & Washington
Tua Tagovailoa's first four completions Sunday were all to Malik Washington, including a clutch fourth down conversion. His fifth completion was to Tahj Washington. The latter finished the day as Miami's leading receiver with three receptions for 53 yards.
Tahj Washington making the defender miss in space. pic.twitter.com/AZ9nvvUVIf
Granted, with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle watching from the sideline, Tagovailoa's non-Washington options were limited. But the two 2024 draft picks looked like a pair of players primed to make an impact in their second NFL seasons.
Dud: Backup quarterbacks
Woof.
Zach Wilson made a couple plays downfield, connecting with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Tahj Washington for 35- and 34-yard pickups. But the former No. 2 overall draft pick struggled to get the ball out of his hand quickly and missed throws, including a lob to tight end Tanner Conner that should've been an easy score.
Zach Wilson in midseason form pic.twitter.com/7bUzV4V5Be
It seemed Quinn Ewers was primed to hold Wilson's feet to the flame. But the seventh-round rookie's day was significantly worse than the veteran's.
Ewers completed only five of his 18 passes and fumbled twice in Chicago territory.
Stud: Dolphins special teams
So far, so good for Craig Aukerman's squad.
It didn't seem to matter who was back to return Sunday, they had room to race upfield into good field position. Dee Eskridge, A.J. Henning, and Erik Ezukanma took kick returns back 41, 38, and 37 yards, respectively. Malik Washington had a 19-yard punt return and Eskridge had a 16-yarder.
Meanwhile, the Bears picked up no more than 22 yards on their kickoff returns and they didn't do much with 50- and 59-yard punts from Ryan Stonehouse and Jake Bailey, respectively.
Dud: RB Jaylen Wright
All signs pointed to a breakout year for Wright in 2025 after the team parted with Raheem Mostert earlier in the offseason. But the 2024 fourth-round pick has put together an underwhelming training camp and parlayed that into a ho-hum preseason debut.
While he eventually broke loose for a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, Wright was stuffed on three straight runs inside the Bears' 2-yard line on the Dolphins' first drive. The second-year back finished with 16 yards on nine carries, a paltry 1.8 yards per attempt.
The two running backs behind him on the depth chart shined, though. Alexander Mattison bulldozed through the defense on a 1-yard touchdown run and broke loose on a 21-yard reception before his day ended with an injury. Rookie Ollie Gordon II took over and recorded 33 rushing yards and 39 receiving yards.
Wright's spot on the 53-man roster is safe, but he'll need to show more if he hopes to keep Mattison and Gordon from eating up his regular season touches.
Stud: EDGE Derrick McLendon
It's tough sledding to stand out as an edge rusher with the Dolphins right now.
Buried behind Chop Robinson, Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, and a couple veterans, McLendon has an uphill climb to earn a spot. But he played like a man possessed Sunday.
While he picked up a roughing the passer penalty for landing on the Bears' Case Keenum, that's an easy mistake to forgive for a player who made so many plays in the backfield, including a sack.
EDGE Derrick McLendon is another guy who was good on the defensive line today. Going to be interesting to see what guys they keep there. pic.twitter.com/g39rc2deki
There simply aren't many roster spots left for the taking and McLendon may be the odd man out, regardless. But he made a strong case Sunday to stick around in Miami.
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