Preseason Game 2: Washington Commanders at Miami Dolphins

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August 19, 2024

By Noonefromtampa

The good news is that the game did not result in a reported major injury to any key players. The bad news? Well, there were several special deliveries of that.

Kicking Game

Riley Patterson is not the answer at kicker. Since Brandon McManus was released earlier this year, the position has been, to say the least, unsettled. Patterson missed two of four attempts in the game, both in the 40 yard range, what should be a gimme for a professional kicker, 49 yards wide left and 43 yards right wide. Expect the front office to be scrambling to find a better option. Agents of kickers likely to be cut are probably trying to line up tryouts for their clients. If Patterson had made all his kicks, it is possible the final outcome of the game could have been different. That isn’t a huge deal in preseason, but it would be a killer during the regular season. The front office may have made a mistake by letting the Lions outbid them for UFL kicker Jake Bates, who has been solid so far in the preseason.

Cornerbacks

Benjamin St-Juste was beat on a fade route for a touchdown by River Cracraft from a nicely throw pass by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. St-Juste did not get a good jam at the line of scrimmage and never recovered after getting beat the wide receiver’s release.

Forbes played 14 snaps on defense and his name was not called, but also, he garnered no stats either. Maybe the Dolphins feared throwing to his side or maybe there was some form of coaching gentleman’s agreement not to throw at him. Either way he did nothing special in the game to inspire increased confidence in his abilities. I literally had to check the gamebook stats to make sure he actually played. Michael Davis also gave up a 26 yard completion to De’Von Achane when he dropped off while in zone coverage and nobody took the running back up the sideline on a deep route. Rookie A.J. Woods gave a up a 35 yard completion to Erik Ezukanma in the second half.

Offensive Line

Andrew Wylie is Christmas fruit cake: looks like it belongs but just doesn’t deliver. In 18 snaps, Wylie had two penalties in the game, one for a false start and the other for offensive holding, his specialty. Thanks to the prior front office, his contract provides him a large cap hit this year, so he either plays (as a liability) or collects a lot of money for riding the bench. Brandon Coleman did not play becuase still recovering from his pectoral injury. Corneilus Lucas was sufficient at left tackle, but Trent Scott gave up a sack to fifth round pick Mohamed Kamara.

Wide Receiver

Jahan Dotson got put on notice that he needs to win the number two wide receiver spot. He responded with one catch for three yards in two targets. That is not the way to impress the coaching staff. Fellow Penn State alum Mitchell Tinsley also did not impress either. He was targeted six times and caught two passes for eight yards. Unless Tinsley has a huge game next week, I don’t think he will even make the practice squad.

Now let’s talk about some of the positives from last night.

Jayden Daniels

He may not have been as impressive as in the Jets game, but he moved the offensive down the field in his two series and ended up going 10 of 12 for 78 yards with a 13 yard run for a first down. That run drew the ire of head coach Dan Quinn, who wanted his quarterback to slide or run out of bounds to void unnecessary contact. After the game, Quinn said, in an Animal House movie reference, that Daniels would be on “double secret probation” for not avoiding contact. Daniels has been steady in his two games and that is about the best you can hope for in a preseason game with no actual game planning being done.

Dyami Brown

To this observer, Brown has looked like the most capable player for the second wide receiver role. In two games, he caught a contested deep ball and some short throws. In all, he has caught five of six targets for 79 yards. Terry McLaurin, Jamison Crowder and Luke McCaffrey looked consistent in the two preseason games. After those four players, the rest of the wide receiver roster spots have not been settled.

Jamin Davis

There was a Davis sighting in the game, in which he strip-sacked Miami quarterback Mike White to end a possible Miami scoring drive. That has been his best play so far in the preseason. The question is, has he shown enough to keep a roster spot? So far, I don’t think he has. Overall, K.J. Henry has a more consistent overall game. This would be another huge draft mistake made by the former front office.

Jeff Driskel

With Marcus Mariota and Sam Hartman both nursing injuries, Driskel played a huge chunk of the second and third quarters. He had a 41 yard run that set up one of Patterson’s missed field goals. The coaching staff probably wants the veteran Mariota’s presence in the QB position meetings to help Daniels, but I think Driskel has shown much more upside on the field in the two games.

Tyler Owens

Owens had a touchdown-saving tackle on Chris Brooks’ 59 yard run, and tackled Brooks for a two yard loss on Washington’s 10 yard line. Owens also had another great special teams tackle in the Dolphins game. He keeps putting good plays on film. He’s not a completely polished player yet, but he is someone who the coaching staff can work up to being a good player.

Wrap Up

The last preseason game which is the only home game for the Commanders and will likely feature only players still trying to make the team either the 53-man roster or the practice squad. The starters will likely sit that game out to prevent any injuries that would impact the week one game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.