The Miami Dolphins will finish their 2019 preseason campaign tomorrow night in New Orleans — where they will face off against one of the NFC favorites sans many of the Saints best players. The Dolphins, too, will have some of their talent on the shelf — although it doesn’t appear as though the Dolphins are punting the game all together. As a matter of fact, it sounds as though head coach Brian Flores will give at least one potential starter another chance to impress. The Dolphins have plenty at stake with such a young team, but here are the three Dolphins with the most on the line against the Saints.
QB Josh Rosen
When asked about the quarterback situation for Thursday night, Brian Flores laid it all out on the table.
“We’ll see a lot of Jake Rudock. Fitz is dealing with an illness…he’s going to try to fight through this thing,” said Flores.
“Josh, there’s a good chance you’ll see Josh on Thursday.”
Rosen has been chasing Ryan Fitzpatrick from the moment he stepped onto the Dolphins’ facility and it seems as though he’s still in at a disadvantage. But if Rosen comes out and tears apart the Saints on Thursday, perhaps it will be the prompt Flores needs to insert the younger player into the lineup for good and make this switch.
RB Mark Walton
The Dolphins’ running back room is a numbers game. Kalen Ballage will be on the roster. So, too, will fullback Chandler Cox. Kenyan Drake is a no-brainer — provided he isn’t a part of any trades. The Texans do need a running back and Miami is in the running to trade for Jadeveon Clowney.
But assuming Drake is here, Walton has to beat out Patrick Laird — a surprisingly good addition who has been the most productive Dolphins back all preseason. The niche for Walton opens up if Drake is no longer in the equation, but that’s a mighty big assumption to make.
LB Tre Watson
It sounds like veteran Kiko Alonso is on the fringe of being cut. Raekwon McMillan’s roster spot isn’t a sure thing, either. And so the UDFA from Maryland has a real chance to lock in a spot with another strong performance. Watson can contribute on special teams at the very least — but he’s got to convince the coaches to keep him on the 53-man roster.
His cause is greatly boosted in an undecided position with a good performance against the Saints.
