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What Stood Out in Miami Dolphins Preseason Finale

With the NFL regular season around the corner, here is what stood out in the Dolphins' third preseason game.
Dolphins Preseason Week 3

The NFL preseason is officially in the books for the Miami Dolphins. They wrapped things up with a 24-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, finishing the preseason with a 2-1 record. The biggest storylines throughout each preseason are never a team’s record though. It’s the performances of those whose spots on the rosters aren’t guaranteed, and many of those players took the final opportunity to showcase their skills and capitalized on it.

What Stood Out in the Miami Dolphins Preseason Finale

Clear Winner in the Battle of Backup QBs

A popular storyline of the offseason in Miami has been who will win the backup QB spot between Skylar Thompson and Mike White. After three preseason games, the decision is clear. Neither had played particularly well in their opportunities, but in Tampa, Skylar Thompson made the most of his snaps.

He had the best outing of the two, for any of the three games, throwing for 190 yards, completing 19 of 27 passes, and tossing two TDs. The QB did throw an interception late but was sharp for much of the evening.

Through three games, Thompson passed for 346 yards, three TDs, two interceptions, and was sacked just once. In those same games, White compiled 179 yards through the air, zero TD passes, and zero interceptions, but was sacked four times.

Preseason reps are never an exact science with many coming alongside a hodgepodge of players who quite often have very little continuity among them. Mike White was the final QB to enter the first two games, but was the first to see action against the Buccaneers. He was who many figured would backup starter Tua Tagovailoa at the start of the season, but as the preseason closes it’s clear that Thompson took advantage of his reps and will almost certainly be the Dolphins Qb2 when they kick off their season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Rookie wideout carves out role

When the Dolphins drafted Malik Washington out of Virginia in the sixth round of this year’s draft, there were immediate rumbles that Miami had found a diamond late in the draft. The former Cavalier was dominant in the ACC last season, hauling in 110 catches for 1,426 yards and 9 TDs. And Friday night in Tampa, Washington ensured he’ll be playing football in Miami this season.

He recorded just one catch for seven receiving yards, but it was everywhere else that he made his presence felt. The speedster was gigantic in the return game, notching a 45-yard kick return, and a 28-yard punt return. Turning his focus back to the offense, he also had a 40-yard rush, the longest run of the game for either team and totaled 120 scrimmage yards in the game.

Washington led the entire 2024 draft class with 710 yards after the catch. That playmaking ability was on full display, with splash play after splash play against Tampa. He’ll likely open the season as the Dolphins number-one return man, but his versatility and ability in the open field could help give Miami a boost on both special teams and offense.

Third-Year Defender Showed He’s Ready to Make an Impact

Channing Tindall was drafted in the third round from the University of Georgia in 2022. As a starter on the National Championship-winning team, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Tindall would have an opportunity to make an instant impact. Fast forward two seasons and that hasn’t been the case. It’s left many to wonder if he’d be a casualty of the cut-down day, but he showed up this entire preseason and seems to have locked up a spot.

He led all players in tackles against the Buccaneers with 12 and was all over the field defensively. The former Bulldog racked up 23 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and three QB hits through three preseason games.

Tindall recently predicted it would “be a breakout year” for him and with a preseason like he’s had, he’s grabbed the attention of fans and his coaching staff alike and made his case for making an impact on a regular basis once the season kicks off.

The next few days will be full of stress and tough decisions for both players and the coaching staff. Many players will be on the move and many will find homes elsewhere if they’re not fits on their current squad.

Every team is tasked with trying to pick the best 53 for their teams and in Miami’s case, after three eventful weeks, the picture should be a bit clearer, and the roster more talented than it was before.

Main Photo Credit: Syndication: Palm Beach Post

Phil Van Pelt

Phil Van Pelt

Phil Van Pelt currently calls the Treasure state (Montana) home, but is originally from South Florida. He's always remained loyal to his hometown squads and is a diehard Miami Hurricanes, Dolphins, Heat, Marlins, Florida Panthers and Inter Miami fan.

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