Hyde10: That opening drive, Douglas catch, Ewers troubles(?) - 10 Dolphins thoughts vs Washington

It was a good, first-quarter's work for the Dolphins in preseason opener

I couldn’t wait for some football to start Friday night, the way everyone else couldn’t. I just don’t know what to make of it other than it was a good series' work for the Dolphins offensive starters (mainly) against Washington’s reserves (mainly).

Yeah, so there’s six minutes left in this game and I’m doing writing and, mostly, watching (oh, wait, Washington just intercepted another pass). Anyway, here are 10 thoughts on the night:

1. That first Dolphins drive was all you wanted. Consistency. Production. No big mistakes. Sure, once again, it was the Dolphins first-teamers against Washington’s second-teamers, but that’s preseason football. The Dolphins got in some good work by running 14 plays for 93 yards and a touchdown. Among the highlights:

*Malik Willis completed four of five passes for 45 yards and ran twice for 9 yards. I know, rub your eyes, a Dolphins quarterback ran? So, you saw just enough of his game to want to see something more. The incompletion was because rookie receiver Caleb Douglas caught a wide-open pass while stepping on the sideline.

*De’Von Achane had seven carries for 39 yards (5.6-yard average) and a touchdown. So he’s ready, if there was any doubt.

* Douglas made a one-handed, highlight-reel catch for 28 yards to provide a special play to the series. Yes, there was rookie-move catch standing out of bounds. But you can correct that mistake. It’s harder to find 6-4 players who make that one-handed catch. Look, if the Dolphins had a real No. 1 receiver and a possible No. 2 you’d really like Douglas getting in that second-receiver mix. As it is, it tells everything about what’s going on that Douglas is the only receiver making news. Good for him. Really good. But other than Malik Washington and maybe AJ Henning there’s no one else showing so far they belong on an NFL team.

* Right guard Jonah Savaiinaea, one of the line’s questions, had a nice opening drive – in fact, his full first quarter looked like a change from last year when he was a regular problem. He’s moved from left to right guard, his college position. His camp has been better. The coaches have talked him up. So, it was good to see some more results from the start as Achane ran to the right side for 5 and 14 yards on opening two rushing plays.

*Finally, did you see rookie tight end Wil Kacmarek leading Achane the 1 yard into the end zone? That’s not why they drafted him. But it’s part of the reason why.

2. Here was No. 2 quarterback Quinn Ewers’ night: One-for-eight passing, sacked once and an interception. There’s no need to be mean about this, but a few weeks ago some were wondering why he wasn’t competing for the starting job. The better question is whether the Dolphins are looking for a back-up quarterback. Third-stringer Cam Miller? He had a 2.3 rating. OK, Pittsburgh can’t keep their four, can they? And, on the other side Friday …

3. Washington’s third-string quarterback Sam Hartman threw a nice ball in going eight-for-15 for 80 yards without too much help from his receivers.

4. Who doesn’t play matters as much in translating preseason games as who does. Washington announced 25 players would be held out of the game, quarterback Jayden Daniels. Back-up Marcus Mariota left the game in the middle of Washington’s first series after an apparent knee scare.

5. First-round cornerback Chris Johnson played into the second quarter and was beaten by Washington’s Vance Jefferson for a 14-yard pass. He then had decent coverage in the end zone when the pass was thrown more to him than the receiver – and dropped it. Let’s not overthink it.

6. Jacob Rodriguez just looks like he belongs, doesn’t he? He blitzed and got to the quarterback, plugged a couple holes and a tackle after a short reception. It will be telling to watch how Jeff Hafley makes the final decision at inside linebacker between Rodriguez and Tyrell Dodson.

7. When it was back-ups against back-ups starting in the second quarter, Washington began pushing the Dolphins over the field. Washington’s undrafted Robert Henry Jr. ran nine times for 64 yards. Washington outscored the Dolphins 17-0 in the second and third quarters. Depth? Yep. It’s an issue. You got the feel the UFL might’ve been scouting the Dolphins in the second half.

8. Quote of the Week: “The Dolphins are not expected to be very good this year. They’re getting out of cap hell, so there’s no Monday night game with the Dolphins this year.” – team consultant and MNF analyst Troy Aikman explaining why it won’t be a ‘conflict of interest’ for him to talk with other teams preparing for his broadcast job.

Here’s the practical question: Do you think Buffalo or New England coaches and executives will invite Aikman behind the curtain, as happens with most broadcasters, and talk honestly about their roster or season?

9. Just for old time’s sake, Tua Tagovailoa fumbled his second snap in Atlanta.

10. Next game: New York Giants at Dolphins, Saturday, Aug. 22 at 4 p.m. in Hard Rock Stadium. It gets us closer to something real.