Miami Dolphins: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Preseason

The Miami Dolphins have come a long way since the beginning of training camp just a month ago. 

There have been several key developments, from big-name injuries to players on the road to recovery and from players stepping up as starters to other players taking a step back in their development.

Along the way, we've learned a lot about what the 2015 Dolphins will look like and what they'll be all about. 

Here's a handful of the things we've learned about the Dolphins to this point in the summer. 

Evan Mathis Will Not Be Joining the Miami Dolphins

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For weeks—maybe even months—Dolfans have been clamoring for their team to sign veteran free-agent guard Evan Mathis. The talented interior lineman and colorful Twitter personality has been voted to two straight Pro Bowls and has been one of the NFL's top two guards over the past two years, according to Pro Football Focus. 

The guard spot is one of the biggest question marks on the entire Dolphins roster, and it will remain so now that Mathis has officially signed with the Denver Broncos, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. 

Jamil Douglas and Billy Turner are the Dolphins' best guards and should be the starters, but the Dolphins offensive line would have been boosted significantly by the addition of a capable veteran. Now, though, it appears the Dolphins' coaching staff will put the hopes of the offensive interior in the hands of two young, inexperienced prospects.

Branden Albert's Recovery Is Taking Steps in the Right Direction

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Speaking of the offensive line, while the Dolphins failed to add one talented veteran to their front five, they have a talented veteran returning to the fold.

Left tackle Branden Albert was sidelined for the second half of the 2014 season with a knee injury, and his road back to the playing field has had plenty of obstacles in the form of his rehab. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Albert has returned to practice in full and is doing "everything" at full speed.

Salguero did mention, however, that Albert is "unlikely" to play in the Dolphins' third preseason game on Saturday, and he also mentioned that Albert was "coy" about his availability for the regular-season opener against the Washington Redskins. 

That being said, the sooner Albert gets back on the field, the better off the Dolphins offensive line will be. In that vein, the latest news is a huge positive for the Dolphins. 

DeVante Parker Is Also Making Strides Toward Full Recovery

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DeVante Parker is the Dolphins' boundary receiver of the future, but he hasn't had a chance to show the world whether he can be the boundary receiver of the present. He had surgery to replace a screw in his foot earlier in the offseason, and he has spent all of camp on the physically unable to perform list—that is, until now. 

The Dolphins activated Parker from the PUP list on August 19, and although James Walker of ESPN.com gave Parker an early "thumbs-down," he noted that his current grade is more of an incomplete:

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Parker continues to rehab following June foot surgery and was officially activated from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 19. The Dolphins will bring him along slowly with the goal of being ready for Week 1 of the regular season. … Parker is behind the rest of the group due to missed time, but he has enough talent to eventually make up ground and find a role in his rookie season.

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The Dolphins have had a hard time hitting big plays in the passing game over the past couple of years. Ryan Tannehill was accurate on only 37.7 percent of his pass attempts that traveled 20 yards or more, according to Pro Football Focus. 

It will definitely help to have a 6'3", 209-pound receiver who can run a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash. That being said, Tannehill will have to make strides of his own to make the most of Parker's God-given gifts. 

Koa Misi's Role in the Dolphins Defense Is Still Unknown

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It feels weird filing this under things we've learned in the preseason, because we still haven't exactly learned what role Koa Misi will play in the Dolphins defense. 

Misi has returned to practice, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, but there are still some questions as to where he will line up. Last year, Misi manned the middle of the Dolphins' 4-3 defense. In the past, he has also played on the outside. 

The Dolphins have some options, but Misi's versatility adds to those possibilities.

Veteran linebacker Kelvin Sheppard is pretty much exclusively a middle linebacker, so if he is thought to be one of the Dolphins' three best linebackers, he would be best suited to line up inside. Jelani Jenkins is a great option at weak-side linebacker, where he filled in for the injured Dannell Ellerbe in 2014. 

Chris McCain was mostly used as a defensive end in 2014, but he has been spotted at strong-side linebacker in training camp thus far, according to Beasley. 

Misi has also been lining up at strong-side linebacker, so his presence on the field would have the bigger impact on McCain's playing time. 

The Dolphins gutted the top of their depth chart at linebacker by getting rid of both Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler this offseason. At least they haven't left themselves without any choices of how to deploy their linebackers, but they don't have much time to figure things out before the regular season kicks off. And who knows, it could be a fluid situation that changes over the course of the season. 

Rishard Matthews Could Be Trade Bait

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Week after week, Dolphins wide receiver Rishard Matthews has taken advantage of increased practice reps with the absences of DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills. Now, could the Dolphins take advantage of his increased value?

Injuries to star players happen every year during training camp, and the Green Bay Packers were the latest to feel the sting with the loss of wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a torn ACL. James Walker of ESPN.com speculated that the Dolphins and Packers could engage in a little "you scratch our back, we'll scratch yours" by finding a way to send Matthews to Green Bay.

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Miami has at least five capable receivers in Jarvis Landry, Greg Jennings, Kenny Stills, first-round pick DeVante Parker and Rishard Matthews. Matthews could be good trade bait for the Dolphins. 

Matthews spent all training camp and two preseason games on the first team while Stills (calf) and Parker (foot) nursed injuries. Stills and Parker are getting healthier, which means Matthews could see fewer reps.

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The Dolphins have suffered a big-name injury of their own with the loss of safety Louis Delmas. They have moved Walt Aikens into the starting lineup at safety, but a trade could benefit both sides if the Packers can send over a safety who could upgrade the Dolphins defense.

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