Miami Dolphins: Highs and lows of preseason opener

And now, the bad

The biggest thing that stood out as a glaring flaw was the rush defense. This was my biggest fear heading into the season. I feel like a lot of people don’t really understand just how good Ndamukong Suh is or how massive his impact on a defense is. The first-team defense was gashed and they looked particularly bad in the red zone. In fairness, I may be highlighting this more because it was already a preconceived concern I had heading into the game.

When it comes to the wide receivers I fear for the jobs of two players. First is DeVante Parker. I love his talent and have been a huge believer in him and still am. But I fear he’s in serious danger of being bumped out of a starting job if he doesn’t contribute early. That would almost certainly make this his last year in Miami. Kenny Stills is the favorite to be the No. 1 and Albert Wilson is hunting for Parker’s job. Hopefully, we see something out of him next week.

I also mentioned Isaiah Ford and Rashawn Scott earlier. With a suddenly deep receiving corps loaded with sneaky good talent, it’s becoming more clear that the Leonte Carroo investment isn’t going to pay off. Right now he has to be considered a long shot to make the 53-man roster. Currently, he’s likely viewed as the seventh man at his position. That doesn’t bode well for him at all.

This isn’t a major concern, but I’d like to see a bit more from the corners. I really want to see someone step up and take that second cornerback job opposite Xavien Howard. It was nothing major but I didn’t love what I saw on Thursday. After watching the game I would suspect Torry McTyer will be ahead of Cordrea Tankersley by the preseason Week 3 dress rehearsal.

We are still in wait and see mode on Tony Lippett. Again, this was the first game and not overly significant, nevertheless, I feel if one of these guys separate themselves as a strong starter this secondary can be special.