Miami Dolphins' Biggest Preseason Disappointments so Far

It was only a few weeks ago that the Miami Dolphins opened training camp. 

There were lofty expectations for many players on the roster; whether it was a player coming back from injury, a young player expected to step up into a bigger role or a veteran trying to prove he still belongs in the NFL.

Three weeks was long enough for some players to already begin falling short of those expectations. 

Make no mistake: A player's status as a disappointment is sometimes out of his control. Injuries are fluky, and sometimes, a few bad practices can lead to another player getting opportunities that might have gone to someone else given a different set of circumstances. 

Nonetheless, with every player who takes a step up, there's a player who takes a step down. 

Louis Delmas

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One of the Dolphins' biggest questions is in their secondary. They have things mostly sorted out back there, with Jamar Taylor and Brent Grimes as the starting cornerbacks, along with Reshad Jones at one of the safety spots. 

But things got thrown into flux on Wednesday, when Delmas suffered a torn ACL that will end his season for a second straight year, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. This might raise some red flags that he was rushed back onto the field, but head coach Joe Philbin doesn't feel that way. 

"

Obviously, I have great confidence in our medical staff, number one. And number two, I feel good about the progression that we put in place for him. It wasn't like the medical staff cleared him on a Monday and we put him into a full team situation on a Tuesday and getting 50 reps. There was a gradual build-up and progression that I think we were comfortable with as a coaching staff, the medical staff was comfortable with and most importantly, the player was too.

"

Delmas signed a one-year contract worth $2.25 million, according to Over The Cap, and due to his injury situation, he didn't receive any guaranteed money. Now, we know why. The Dolphins will now have to sort things out back there without him. That could mean Jones moves over to strong safety, where he first emerged as a top-flight NFL defensive back.

Delmas' departure from the field could open the door for someone like Walt Aikens, Michael Thomas or Cedric Thompson to earn a starting role in 2015, but none of those three safeties have quite the amount of experience that Delmas brought to the table.

DeVante Parker

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If you Google the saying, "You can't make the club in the tub," you'll find a long list of people who purportedly coined that phrase. Most of those people probably weren't talking about first-round picks who are expected to lift the hopes of the franchise when they return to the field.

That's the boat wide receiver DeVante Parker is in. Parker has finally been removed from the active/physically unable to perform list, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post. Parker had foot surgery more than two months ago to replace a screw in his foot, and he has resumed slowly jogging at practice, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. 

That's all good news for Parker, who hopes to be back in the lineup by the time the regular season starts, but it's still been a disappointing preseason for him to this point. Parker has missed out on a lot of valuable reps that he could have been using to build chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Instead, there will be no transition period for Parker. It'll be straight out of the frying pan and into the fire for the Dolphins' first-round pick. 

Jordan Tripp

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The saying from the last slide: "You can't make the club in the tub?" That may not apply to DeVante Parker, but it could easily apply to linebacker Jordan Tripp. 

The 6'3", 240-pounder out of Montana enters his second year, and with a wide-open battle at linebacker, there were probably some hopes that he could snatch up one of the starting spots for his own. He played just 12 snaps on defense in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus, and made most of his contributions on special teams.

In 2015, he has an uphill battle if he wants to make any contributions at all. Tripp was seen "sitting on a stationary bike next to crutches," according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson reports that there are no plans to put Tripp on injured reserve at the moment, but needless to say, this is a pretty dramatic setback.

The Dolphins already have their starting linebacker trio sorted out between Chris McCain, Jelani Jenkins and Koa Misi, but Tripp could find his way into the rotation if he is healthy. That being said, he has to get healthy before it becomes a serious discussion.

Jay Ajayi

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

When the Dolphins drafted Jay Ajayi, the pick was not met with the usual hum-drum reaction associated with a fifth-round selection. Ajayi was expected to challenge veteran incumbent running back Lamar Miller for the top spot on the depth chart—if not now, sometime in the near future. 

Since the beginning of training camp, though, Ajayi's stock has been on a steady decline. Ajayi missed almost a week of practice with a calf injury, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post, but the rookie made his return to the field last week. 

That being said, Ajayi's absence was long enough and significant enough to give other backs an opportunity to earn some snaps. Most notably, second-year back Damien Williams has stepped up as the top second-team back according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Salguero says his observations are based on "practice snaps, experience in offense and listening to Joe Philbin speak."

This could be a fluid situation, with Ajayi getting more opportunities during the course of the season, but for now, he has an uphill battle to get to the No. 2 spot.

Josh Freeman

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Ryan Tannehill is the clear-cut starting quarterback. Matt Moore is the Dolphins' best backup option. If there is going to be a third quarterback, that would mean less depth at another key position. If the Dolphins are going to make that kind of provision on their roster, it's going to have to be for a quarterback who is notably better than Josh Freeman.

The former first-round pick hasn't exactly lit it up in training camp, and according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, "If Freeman plays this preseason as he's practiced, he will not be a Miami Dolphin." 

If his start to the preseason is any indication, he will be playing as he has practiced. Freeman was 5-of-16 passing in his first outing against the Chicago Bears, earning 76 yards (4.8 yards per attempt) on the night. He also threw an interception, which dragged his passer rating down to 21.9.

His second preseason outing was almost as bad. He went 1-of-5 for 56 yards with one touchdown and one interception. 

Freeman had his time as a serviceable starting quarterback, but that time was brief and has already come to a conclusion. 

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.