Buccaneers vs. Dolphins: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Miami
The Miami Dolphins closed out an up-and-down preseason at 1-3 with a 22-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Dolphins had a lot of bright spots despite the loss, with an impressive running game and a defense that at times looked dominant.
Unfortunately, the Dolphins reserves (no starter save for Jamil Douglas played) were undone by poor quarterback play, as Miami threw four interceptions and lost another possession due to a muffed punt.
This led to a game where Miami dominated the time of possession and total yards but came out behind on the scoreboard.
After the drudgery of the preseason, Miami now looks ahead to its Week 1 matchup with Washington, while the Buccaneers sail into their Week 1 Rose Bowl quarterback rematch against the Tennessee Titans.
Miami Dolphins Grades
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| Position | Grade |
| Quarterback | F |
| Running Back | A- |
| Wide Receivers | A |
| Tight End | C+ |
| Offensive Line | C- |
| Defensive Line | A |
| Linebacker | B |
| Secondary | A |
| Special Teams | B- |
| Coaching | C |
Since they were all backups, we're grading everyone with one grade.
The quarterbacks were the worst part of the game. McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 11 of 16 passes for 127 yards and two interceptions with no touchdowns.
While DeVante Parker got his first start, he had one reception for 11 yards and a few other targets that didn't hit the mark. This was partially due to rust and also due to Bethel-Thompson's inaccuracy and lack of chemistry with Parker.
Josh Freeman came in the game later and at times looked good, completing 13 of 22 passes for 165 yards and two interceptions.
The run game was the opposite of the passing attack, as it was effective if not lethal. As a team, the Dolphins rushed for 184 yards on 39 attempts. Mike Gillislee led with 69 yards on 17 attempts, while Jay Ajayi had 66 yards on nine attempts. Ajayi also was effective in pass catching, with two catches for 37 yards, and pass blocking.
The offensive line was very hit-or-miss, with Jamil Douglas earning a starting job with his performance, mixed in with Billy Turner continuing to be inconsistent.
On defense, the Dolphins forced two turnovers, both interceptions from Will Davis.
Running Backs Shine vs. Buccaneers Defense
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Lamar Miller is Miami's starter, and his backup is Damien Williams.
The former was known since the start of last season, and the latter was confirmed during training camp. They got the night off as a reward for their rightfully earned places on the roster.
Thursday was about the three-way battle between their potential backups: Mike Gillislee, Jay Ajayi and LaMichael James.
James' best shot would be as a return man, but his muffed punt in the first quarter set up Tampa Bay's first touchdown of the game. After a sizzling return by Christion Jones (called back due to a holding call), he should be on notice.
James didn't have a bad game after that, running for 37 yards on eight attempts. However, it might not be enough to save a spot on the final 53 with the night that Ajayi and Gillislee had.
Gillislee led the Dolphins in rushing yards and scored both of Miami's touchdowns. Ajayi was better overall, as he had a better average (7.3 compared to Gillislee's 4.05) and was more of a threat in the pass game in both pass protection and out of the backfield.
As of right now, the best possibility would be for the Dolphins to hold onto Gillislee while Ajayi is placed on short-term IR and James is released, but that could change between now and Saturday when the final cuts are made.
A Tough Decision to Be Made on Matt Hazel
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Matt Hazel had a strong preseason and added to it against the Buccaneers with seven catches for 96 yards.
Going into training camp, there were questions about whether he would make the final 53-man roster, but according to Hazel himself (per Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post), that's not the case anymore.
Hazel is "confident. ... Real confident" that he'll make the final 53-man roster, even if the Dolphins are pretty deep at wide receiver.
Miami should keep Hazel however it can. There are plenty of receiver-poor NFL teams waiting for cutdown day to perhaps pounce on players like Hazel, a player that showed the ability to make the Dolphins regret releasing him.
Of course, the New England Patriots might be one of those teams.
Better to hold onto him, especially since after this season Rishard Matthews is a free agent, and Greg Jennings will be 33 in 2016.
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'I Don't Know If I'm 100 Percent, but I'm Ready'
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DeVante Parker played his first game as a Miami Dolphin on Thursday, starting at wide receiver.
The move was surprising as none of the starters were playing, and it meant that Parker would attempt to catch passes from McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
Parker was only in for around 10 snaps, just enough to shake some of the rust out. He was targeted three times catching one pass for 11 yards, with the first target due to rust and the second due to inaccuracy.
Parker was ready to play, as he told Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel: "I don't know if I'm 100 percent, but I'm ready," after the game.
Parker playing against Tampa should mean that he'll play in Week 1 against Washington, but he might be on a proverbial pitch count in terms of how many snaps he will take in that game.
The Dolphins can afford to take it slow with Parker due to the depth at the position. If they need five receivers to be active and they still have their doubts about Parker's health in Week 1, then they should have more incentive to keep Matt Hazel.
'It Is All [Out] of My Control as Far as This Whole Situation'
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Who had the best night for Miami?
That would be defensive back Will Davis.
The subject of trade rumors as of Wednesday (per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald), Davis responded with two interceptions and great success covering Tampa Bay's receivers.
Salguero would report later that the Dolphins wanted Davis to show off his skills on Thursday, which accounts for why he played so many snaps. However, he also says that Davis might be released if he's not traded before the deadline.
This doesn't seem to affect Davis, who told Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel: "It is all [out] of my control as far as this whole situation. I just went out there and did [what] I can do."
Davis seems to have a lot of support among his teammates in the secondary, as after his first interception, the CBS 4 broadcast showed him being embraced by starting cornerback Brent Grimes, followed by the rest of his teammates.
If Miami can get a draft pick for Davis, that would be great, as he has plenty of talent but has been very inconsistent. There is plenty of talent in the secondary, and like with Davis, much of it needs to be developed.
He's the odd man out, but hopefully said odd man out can net a pick within the next few days.
Statistics provided by NFL.com
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