5 Players to Watch Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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QB: Josh Rosen – You can pretty much pencil Rosen into this spot for the foreseeable future, at least until he has proven one way or the other if he is in fact the future of the quarterback position in Miami. Rosen was a mixed bag in his first appearance for the Dolphins last week against the Falcons, but there was a reason to be optimistic. He made some good throws and it was nice seeing a Miami quarterback being able to feel pressure and maneuver his way around the pocket to extend the play, but there were a couple of plays that were cause for concern as well. Obviously, the interception was bad but that was just a poor read and is going to happen from time to time. His panicked throw to Preston Williams as he was being dragged down for a sack is far more concerning, in my opinion. Yes, Williams made a great play on the ball and it extended the drive, but more often than not, that ball is going to be picked. If Rosen can cut down on the mental errors and continue the progress that he’s made since being traded to Miami, we may start to see a few more #3 jerseys in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium.

WR: Preston Williams – It seems that every year Miami has an undrafted free agent that makes headlines at the beginning of training camp and then disappears once he gets into live game action. That was far from the case with Preston Williams. Williams followed up a strong start to training camp with an impressive performance in his first preseason game for Miami. He finished the day with 4 catches for 97 yards, all of which were highlight-worthy plays. If Williams can keep this up, it may not be a question as to whether he makes the team or not, but whether he starts to take snaps away from the starters.

DL: Dewayne Hendrix – Besides Preston Williams, Dewayne Hendrix is the player that stood out the most to me during last week’s preseason game after racking up two sacks and a forced fumble. With the lack of pass rush options on the roster, Hendrix may be playing himself into a roster spot if he is able to continue his level of play.

LB: Sam Eguavoen – Miami struck gold once by bringing in a former CFL standout when they signed Cam Wake in 2009. Is it possible that the Dolphins may have found more success by going to that same well? While it is unrealistic to expect Eguavoen to have similar success to one of the best defensive players this decade, merely because they both are products of the CFL, it may not be unrealistic to expect him to make the team and possibly see significant playing time. Eguavoen was a surprise starter at linebacker when Miami opened training camp in July and has impressed the coaching staff with his ability in coverage. While we probably won’t be seeing him play many snaps in place of Raekwon McMillan, Jerome Baker, or Kiko Alonso when Miami is in their base defense, we may see him start to steal snaps away from the trio when Miami is in their Nickel and Dime personnel, particularly in place of McMillan who struggled in coverage last year. Seeing tight ends and running backs run open against our linebackers has plagued Miami over the years, hopefully Eguavoen keeps impressing and helps mitigate that problem going forward.