Dolphins open preseason with home loss to Falcons. What stood out from the defeat

The Dolphins opened their 2023 NFL preseason with a 19-3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday night.

With starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa one of 31 Dolphins announced as not playing prior to kickoff, Mike White, who is competing with Skylar Thompson for the backup job, started the opener.

But neither signal caller did much to distance themselves in the position battle for the No. 2 spot.

White, who played the entirety of the first half, finished the game 9 of 14 for 85 yards and one interception (51.2 rating). He led the Dolphins into the red zone on three of four drives, but Miami left each without any points.

On the Dolphins’ opening possession, White’s tight-window pass to tight end Tyler Kroft in the end zone was deflected and intercepted by safety DeMarco Hellams. On Miami’s third drive, the offense went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Falcons’ 3-yard line, and White’s pass to wide receiver Braxton Berrios was broken up by cornerback Breon Borders. And on the final drive of the half, the Dolphins went for it again on fourth down, this time on fourth-and-3 from the 6-yard line. But White’s pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage and was just out of Kroft’s reach in the back of the end zone.

Thompson started the second half and finished the game 10 of 16 for 104 yards and two interceptions (41.7 rating). His first came early in the fourth quarter, as he was intercepted by safety Lukas Denis early after overthrowing rookie tight end Elijah Higgins. He was later picked off by Borders with a little over two minutes remaining in the game. Borders returned the pick for a 26-yard score after the pass bounced off the hands of wide receiver Corey Coleman.

The pick-six was preceded by a 79-yard punt return touchdown by Falcons cornerback Dee Alford that put the Dolphins behind 13-3.

Thompson was also sacked four times, the last resulting in a fumble that was recovered by Atlanta with two minutes remaining.

Here is a look at who’s stock is rising and falling after the loss.

Stock report

Rising

▪ Running back Myles Gaskin: With Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. entrenched as the lead backs, rookie back De’Von Achane on the roster and Salvon Ahmed flashing in brief stints last season, it looks as if Gaskin could be on the outside looking in. But the fifth-year player led the team in rushing with 57 yards on seven carries, including a 35-yard run. Gaskin has always been an elusive runner and he contributes on special teams, so don’t count him out for a roster spot.

▪ Wide receiver Erik Ezukanma: The second-year wide receiver played sparingly in his rookie year as he struggled to grasp the playbook. But he’s made plays in training camp, as he did last season, and in the preseason opener, the Dolphins found intentional ways to get him the ball. His first touch came on a jet sweep, which he took for 13 yards after some tough running. His second was a 39-yard end-around in which he just wasn’t able to beat the defense to the edge for a score. Ezukanma also caught two passes for 4 yards. He’s one of multiple players competing for snaps as a No. 3 wide receiver. Ezukanma didn’t make his biggest impact as a pass-catcher but he showed he can make plays with the ball in his hands.

▪ Cornerback Cam Smith: The Dolphins’ top pick in the 2023 Draft showcased the recognition and ball skills he’s shown in the first three weeks of camp. He recorded a diving pass breakup in the third quarter after tracking down a crossing route on a bootleg pass. He later provided good run support, coming down to record a tackle for loss in the red zone. Smith did give up a pair of completions and left the game with a shoulder injury. But he showed a lot of promising things in his NFL debut.

Falling

▪ Dolphins’ backup quarterbacks: With Miami’s top pass-catchers and many of its starting offensive linemen sidelined, the Dolphins’ offensive operation wasn’t going to be perfect with either of the backup quarterbacks. But neither White nor Thompson gave a performance that would make one optimistic about the team’s prospects if Tagovailoa were to sustain another injury. White at least was able to drive the ball down the field, but the offense couldn’t execute in the red zone. And with reserve linemen blocking for Thompson in the second half, he was unable to get into a rhythm, although he failed to sense the pressure on a few of his sacks. Coach Mike McDaniel previously warned off anointing either player as the leader to back up Tagovailoa and the opener proved his comments to be wise.

▪ Offensive tackle James Tunstall: The undrafted rookie faces an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster but was flagged on consecutive plays, first for holding on offsetting penalties and then for holding again.

▪ Special teams: McDaniel insinuated that he wasn’t as worried about the punt return score because the coverage unit was comprised of many roster bubble players. But it wasn’t a good sign for a special teams unit that was among the league’s worst in 2022.