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10 Players to Watch in Second Dolphins Preseason Game
The Miami Dolphins host the New York Giants in their second preseason game, with both teams focusing on roster evaluations despite the heat and injuries. Key players are rested, while backups and undrafted rookies get opportunities to prove themselves before final cuts.
The Miami Dolphins host the New York Giants on Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium in their second preseason game. The matchup comes just two days after the teams held a joint practice, and the Giants are expected to rest most of their starters due to the South Florida heat and a short week leading into their preseason finale against the Jets on Friday night. Head coach John Harbaugh has not disclosed his playing plans, but the team's expectation, as reported by northjersey.com, is that many regulars will sit out.
The Dolphins, under general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, are using this game to evaluate players competing for 53-man roster spots. With the front-line players having gotten substantial work in the joint practice, backups and younger players are expected to be at the forefront, according to Sports Illustrated.
Dolphins Roster Battles and Injuries
The Dolphins held out several key players, including Malik Willis, De'Von Achane, Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, Austin Jackson, Malik Washington, Chop Robinson, and Zeek Biggers. Additionally, players recently injured include Zach Sieler, Jordyn Brooks, JuJu Brents, and Tyrel Dodson, as reported by TCPalm.
During the game, running back Jaylen Wright lost a fumble in the first quarter, an issue that head coach Jeff Hafley emphasized would not be tolerated. Ollie Gordon II, who is battling Wright for the backup running back position, left the game in the first half with an apparent upper-body injury. Additionally, edge rusher Trey Moore suffered a lower-body injury that left him unable to put pressure on his left leg, which TCPalm described as potentially huge blow to Miami's defensive plans.
Rookie wide receiver Chris Bell went through a full warmup in full uniform, a first since coming out of a red non-contact jersey, but he was not cleared to be tackled and did not play. The Dolphins will conclude their preseason on Friday, Aug. 28, against the Atlanta Falcons.
Giants' Focus Areas
For the Giants, several players are looking to bounce back from lackluster performances in the preseason opener. Linebacker Micah McFadden, returning from a foot injury, had a difficult outing against the Vikings, missing two tackles and earning a 34.4 run defense grade, the worst among inside linebackers. Cornerback Deonte Banks, who struggled last season with a career-worst 149.7 passer rating allowed and seven penalties, allowed only one catch for 2 yards but was flagged twice.
The offensive line also faces questions, particularly at center, where John Michael Schmitz is recovering from a concussion. Backup Lucas Patrick has dealt with knee issues. Bryan Hudson, who impressed in the opener with no pressures allowed and a 69.4 run-blocking grade, is pushing for more playing time.
Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. missed a critical blitz pickup and posted a 5.9 pass-blocking grade in the opener, with only two carries for five yards. His career pass-blocking grade improved from 35.1 to 45.5, but he has allowed 12 pressures in 136 snaps. Defensive lineman Darius Alexander had the third-lowest run defense grade against the Vikings, who rushed for 111 yards at 4.1 yards per carry, though he did secure a sack.
10 Players to Watch for the Dolphins
Sports Illustrated highlighted several Dolphins players whose performances could impact roster decisions:
QB Cam Miller: Miller has looked much better in recent days, and with Quinn Ewers dealing with a groin injury, this is a significant opportunity for him.
WR Jalen Tolbert: Along with Tutu Atwell, Tolbert was a veteran addition in the offseason, but neither has secured a roster spot.
TE Seydou Traore: Traore has dropped passes this summer, and his roster spot is not guaranteed.
G D.J. Campbell: A sixth-round pick, Campbell needs a strong showing; James Ester was waived-injured Thursday, opening up competition.
FB D.J. Herman: An undrafted rookie fullback, Herman could become the team's lone fullback.
DT Fatorma Mulbah: Mulbah has performed well in the preseason game against Washington and in practice.
EDGE Max Llewellyn: A seventh-round pick from Iowa, Llewellyn is looking to make an impression.
S Major Burns: The UFL interception leader last year, Burns is competing for a safety spot.
S Louis Moore: Moore led major college football in interceptions last year.
DT Keith Cooper Jr.: Cooper faces competition from second-year defensive tackles Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Zeek Biggers, with Matthew Butler also showing well.
Game Takeaways
The Giants' defense was physically superior in the joint practice and continued that dominance in the preseason game, according to TCPalm. Dolphins quarterback Cam Miller finished 6-for-11 for 70 yards, while kicker Riley Patterson made a 53-yard field goal after going 27-for-29 last season, including 3-for-4 from 50 yards and beyond.
The game kicked off at 4 p.m. ET, and both teams are looking to finalize their rosters ahead of the regular season.
How each outlet told it
northjersey.com
Framing: Indicates it is a live updates article for the game, not analytical coverage. — neutral, informational
Facts Included:
Giants face Dolphins in second preseason game, at Hard Rock Stadium.
Harbaugh second year, not yet specified.
Expected to rest most starters due to South Florida heat and short week.
Matt Nagy to call plays from sideline after doing so from booth in opener.
Nagy, Harbaugh and staff will evaluate the process and decide best option moving forward.
No other factual details on the game itself (score, players).
Framing: Highlights 10 players to watch in the preseason game, emphasizing roster evaluations. — analytical and forward-looking, with supportive, neutral stance.
Facts Included:
Game is against New York Giants at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley are evaluating roster spots.
List of 10 players to watch including QB Cam Miller, WR Jalen Tolbert, TE Seydou Traore, G D.J. Campbell, FB D.J. Herman, DT Fatorma Mulbah, EDGE Max Llewellyn, S Major Burns, S Louis Moore, DT Keith Cooper Jr.
Cam Miller has looked better recently; Quinn Ewers has a groin injury.
Veteran wide receivers Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell added in offseason but neither distinguished themselves.
Traore dropped passes this summer, not a lock for roster.
D.J. Campbell is a sixth-round pick; James Ester was waived-injured Thursday.
D.J. Herman is undrafted rookie fullback.
Mulbah played against Washington and in practice.
Max Llewellyn is a seventh-round pick from Iowa.
Major Burns was UFL interception leader; Kyle Louis is a rookie fourth-round pick getting safety work.
Louis Moore led major college football in interceptions.
Keith Cooper Jr. faces tough competition from second-year DTs Kenneth Peart, Jordan Pili, Zeek Biggers; Matthew Butler strong showing.
Framing: Focuses on takeaways from game, including performance and injuries. — Analytical with concern about injuries, e.g. describing injury as awful news for defense.
Facts Included:
Game held at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 22.
Dolphins held out key players: Malik Willis, Deleon, Achane, Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, Austin Jackson, Malik Washington, Chop Robinson, Zeek Biggers.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe Miami Dolphins played the New York Giants in a preseason game at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 22.
ClaimThe Dolphins held out key players Malik Willis, De'Von Achane, Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, Austin Jackson, Malik Washington, Chop Robinson, and Zeek Biggers.
ClaimGiants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is expected to call plays from the sideline in the preseason game against Miami after doing so from the booth the previous week.
ClaimThe New York Giants will have a short week of practices after this game, with the preseason finale Friday night against the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
ClaimChris Bell has not been cleared to be tackled and did not play in the preseason game against the Giants, but it seems possible he could play against the Atlanta Falcons.
ClaimGiants linebacker Micah McFadden returned from a foot injury sustained in the 2025 season opener against Washington and played in the preseason game against Minnesota.
ClaimMicah McFadden had a tough time as a run tackler, finishing with the team's second-lowest run defense grade of 34.4 and the worst grade in the inside linebacker room.
ClaimGiants cornerback Deonte Banks posted a career-worst 149.7 passer rating when targeted, allowed four touchdowns and committed seven penalties last season.
ClaimThe Giants' offensive line has concerns at center because John Michael Schmitz suffered a concussion before the preseason and backup Lucas Patrick has had knee issues.
ClaimBryan Hudson earned the bulk of starting reps and allowed no pressures with a 69.4 run-blocking grade in the preseason opener against Minnesota's backups.