MORSE: Week 2 Patriots Preview of Miami Dolphins and Game Prediction
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Last season was a disaster for the Dolphins due to the collapse of the Offensive Line through injuries. 2025 is not starting off any better. Left Tackle Terron Armstead retired, pushing second year LT Patrick Paul into the starting lineup.
Before Mike McDaniel started with the Dolphins in 2021 they were #31 YPC (3.5), #30 EPA (-0.14), #31 success (32%). The next two seasons they improved to the point where in 2023 they were #1 YPC (5.1), #10 EPA (-0.01), #4 success (44%). Last year they dropped to #28 YPC (4.0), #31 EPA (-0.17), #27 success (37%) due to all the injuries along the Offensive Line.
Last week, the Miami Offense was not as bad as the score indicated. New Colts Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo was very aggressive against the Dolphins. According to Free Agent signee Cam Bynum, “the QB (Tagovailoa) had no idea where the pressure was coming from”. Bynum had one of the two interceptions off Tagovailoa.
Offense: 3WR 1TE
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| QB | Tua Tagovailoa | Zach Wilson | Quinn Ewers | – |
| RB | De’Von Achane | Jaylen Wright Q | Ollie Gordon | |
| WR | Tyreek Hill | Nick Westbrook-Ikhine | ||
| WR | Jaylen Waddle Q | Dee Eskridge | – | – |
| WR | Malik Washington | Tahj Washington | – | – |
| TE | Darren Waller Q | Julian Hill | Tanner Conner | Jalin Conyers |
| FB | Alec Ingold | – | – | |
| LT | Patrick Paul | Kendall Lamm | Yodny Cajuste IR | Germain Ifedi IR |
| LG | Jonah Savaiinaea | Liam Eichenberg O | ||
| C | Aaron Brewer | Daniel Brunskill | Andrew Meyer IR | – |
| RG | Kion Smith | Cole Strange | James Daniels IR | |
| RT | Austin Jackson Q | Larry Borom |
Tua Tagovailoa was benched Sunday because of poor play. He had 2 INTs and 1 Fumble. Zach Wilson came in and finished the lopsided loss. Tagovailoa completed 14 of 23 passes for a pitiful 114 yards and 1 TD. His QB Rating was 2.7. The Dolphins were held to 78 yards rushing. All in all, a bad day, however you look at it. They will be loaded for bear for Sunday’s matchup with the Division opponent, the NE Patriots. One note about Tagovailoa has one of the quickest releases in the league. Sitting back in a zone defense may not benefit the Patriots’ secondary. Playing tight-man coverage and disrupting the timing may be a better strategy.
De’Von Archane is a very good back. He is a bit on the smaller size at 5’9”, 191-pounds, but is quick as a cat. Last season he ran for 907 yards and 6 TDs and had 78 catches for another 592 yards and 6 TDs. In his 281 touches, he had only 1 fumble. Coming into the season, Archane was ranked as the #7 RB in the league. Backup RB Jaylen Wright is Questionable for Sunday and was listed as Limited on Thursday, so there is a chance he will play. Rookie Ollie Gordon is available in a backup role.
Tyreek Hill is a dynamic pass catcher and is very dangerous after the catch. However, he is under NFL Investigation once more for a Domestic Violence incident. Hill dropped in the NFL Draft because of a Domestic Violence incident while in college. Quite frankly, he should not have been allowed to play in the NFL, in my opinion.
Marcus Jones has played Hill very tough over the years. The 31-year-old is entering his 10th season in the League. He has had some off-field issues, including getting arrested on the way to a game last year. Last season, he appeared in all 17 games and had 81 receptions for 959 yards and 6 TDs.
Jaylen Waddle is a very consistent #2 WR. The 5th year receiver out of Alabama was the 1st Round selection by the Dolphins in 2021. Last season he played in just 14 games and made 54 catches for 700 yards and 2 TDs. This was disappointing after three straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Malik Washington, another slot receiver out of Virginia and Northwestern, appeared in 14 games with 3 starts as a rookie. He was drafted in the 6th round in 2024 by the Dolphins. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was signed in Free Agency from Tennessee. He went undrafted in 2020 and signed with the Titans where he played for 5 years. Last season he snared 32 passes for 497 yards and 9 TDs. He stands 6’2”, 211-pounds and offers a big target.
At TE they made a big trade with the NY Giants to obtain Darren Waller to see if he could resurrect his career. He is questionable for Sunday. Julian Hill is the primary backup. The Dolphins utilize the TE as a critical part of their offense. They often out them in motion prior to the snap. Jaylin Conners and Tanner Conners are backup. The Dolphins are one of the few teams that keep 4 TEs on the Active roster. They traded Pro Bowl Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh for CB Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The offensive line has been a problem for the Dolphins, even though they invested high draft capital in an attempt to make them better. It didn’t work out. Starting Left Tackle Patrick Paul struggled last year (as most rookie Left Tackles do). However, he was one of the bright spots last week. He had an 84.9 PFF Rating, good for 4th in the league. The 6’7”, 315-pound Tackle is long and lanky, a player I thought the Pats would be interested in drafting, but the Dolphins snatched him up in the 2nd round, #55, before the Patriots could draft him in the 3rd round.
Liam Eichenberg has been ruled out for Sunday. He has been replaced at Left Guard with rookie Jonah Savaiinaea. He was selected in the 2nd round just ahead of the Patriots. The Patriots were said to be discussing selecting a player other than TreVeyon Henderson with the 38th pick and it was believed to have been Savaiinaea. The 6’5” 336-pound Savaiinaea had a 51.7 rating from PFF. Dolphins may have a similar problem to the Patriots on the Left Side. They are playing a 2nd year LT with just 4 NFL starts under his belt and a Rookie LG.
At Center Aaron Brewer is the starter. He was a UDFA signee with Tennessee in 2020 and eventually grew into a starter in 2023. Brewer signed as an Unrestricted Free Agent this year. An undersized Center at just 6’1”, 295 pounds, he received high marks from PFF with a 70.8 rating, good for 4th. I saw a video of Brewer getting out to the second level and making a couple of pancake blocks.
Right Guard is a problem. Starter James Daniels was placed on IR with a torn pectoral. The Dolphins are so desperate that they signed Cole Strange off the Browns’ Practice Squad. Kion Smith is listed as the starter. The 6’5” 300-pound Guard was a 2021 UDFA out of that football factory D II Fayetteville State. Last week, he played just 44 snaps, filling in for Daniels. Don’t be surprised to see backup C Danile Brunskill moved to Right Guard. Right Tackle is Austin Jackson. The 6’5”, 310-pound Tackle out of USC was the Dolphins 1st first-round selection (#18) out of USC. He has never lived up to his high expectations. His PFF grade last week was 60.8 good for 34th amongst tackles. If he can’t go, his backup is Larry Borom. He filled in for 10 snaps last week. The 2021 5th round pick of the Bears out of Missouri signed a one-year deal with Miami as a Free Agent.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |
| LDE | Chop Robinson | Matthew Judon | – | – |
| LDT | Zach Sieler | Kenneth Grant | Matthew Butler | |
| RDT | Benito Jones Q | Jordan Phillips | Zeek Biggers | – |
| RDE | Bradley Chubb | – | ||
| WLB | Jordyn Brooks | Willie Gay | ||
| MLB | Tyrel Dodson | K.J. Britt | – | – |
| SLB | Jaelan Phillips | Cameron Goode | – | – |
| LCB | Jack Jones | Rasul Douglas | JuJu Brents | Cam Smith O |
| SS | Ifeatu Melifonwu | Ashtyn Davis | ||
| FS | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Elijah Campbell | Dante Trader Jr. | – |
| RCB | Storm Duck Q | Ethan Bonner Q | Jason Marshall | |
| NB | Jason Marshall | Artie Burns IR | Jason Maitre IR | Kader Kohou IR |
Chop Robinson is an exciting 2nd year player at LDE. The 6’3”, 254-pound DE has excellent speed at 4,48 40-yard dash at the combine. In the 2024 draft he was selected in the 1st round (#18). Last season he played in all 17 games while starting one. The Associated Press named him Defensive Player of the Year. He had 6 sacks. On the other side is Bradley Chubb. He had a very bad game last week with a 37.8 PFF grade, 134 of 135 Edge players. Last season was a disaster for Chubb who started on the PUP list and eventually ended up on IR and missed the entire season. This was his second ACL tear, one on each knee. He had a 57.4 rating for last week, which was 86th of 134 edge players. Chubb’s father Aaron was a late-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 1989.
Inside, the Dolphins have a very underrated stud in Zach Seiler. This is a self-made man. The 2018 7th Round selection (238) by Baltimore, out of Ferris State, is entering his 8th season with a new 3-year $54M contract extension. He was claimed off waivers in 2019 by the Dolphins and Seiler has worked his way into the starting lineup. In the last two years Seiler has back-to-back 10 sacks seasons out of the DT position.
Benito Jones is questionable for the game Sunday. Last week he had a 47.5 rating from PFF. The 6’1” 330-pound Nose Tackle was a 2020 UDFA originally signed by Miami and then they lost him to Detroit. Miami re-signed him in 2024 and he played in all 17 games with 14 starts, contributing just 24 tackles and no sacks. Jones’ replacement should be Jordan Phillips. The 6’6”, 341-pound DT is entering his 11th season in the NFL. The 32-year-old was drafted by the Dolphins in the 2015 2nd round (52). He has played for the Buffalo Bills for three different stints. He started 9 of the 14 games he played in for Buffalo, but had just 15 total tackles.
Linebackers include WLB Jordyn Brooks. The 1st round pick (27) of the Seahawks in 2020, Brooks led the team with 184 tackles in 2021. He followed that up with 163 tackles in 2022 before suffering an ACL tear in the next to last game of the season. Seattle didn’t exercise their 5th year option on him and he finished 2023 with 111 tackles. The Dolphins jumped on him in Free Agency. Last season he started all 17 games and had 143 tackles. In the Colts game he had a PFF Grade of 58.3. Brooks stands 6’ 245-pounds, ran a 4.54 40 at the combine, and played for Texas Tech.
Tyrel Dodson is the ILB in this 4-3 defense. The 2019 UDFA signed with Buffalo and played 5 seasons for them before signing with Seattle. Unexplainably, he was waived in November last year while leading the Seahawks in tackles. Miami picked him up and he had 15 tackles in his 1st game with them. They gave him a 2-year $8.5M contract. Last week, his PFF Grade was 76.3, 18th amongst all linebackers, and he had 12 solo tackles, which was #1.
The final piece of the puzzle on the Dolphins defense is SLB Jaelan Phillips. He has missed most of the last two seasons with injuries. A torn Achilles ruined his entire 2023 season and last season he tore an ACL in September and was lost for the season after just parts of 4 games. The former Miami Hurricane and UCLA Bruin was a 1st round selection (#18) by the Dolphins. He stands 6’5”, 263 pounds, and ran a 4.54 at the combine. Has he slowed down after the two major injuries?
Matt Judon signed with the Dolphins late in training camp. I don’t think he has anything left in the tank? Judon, a 33-year-old, 4-time Pro Bowl selection, started in 15 of 17 games in Atlanta last season with 5.5 sacks and 41 tackles. He signed a 1-year $6M contract to play in 2025.
The secondary includes former Patriots Draft Choice Jack Jones. Jones is known for trying to carry a loaded handgun onto a plane at Logan. He was arrested and brought to trial but his slick lawyer got the charges dismissed. I don’t believe it was an accident and that he didn’t try and get them on the plane. He also had an incident of commercial burglary at a Panda Express in College. Las Vegas released him last year in April for some unknown reason. He has talent but his off-field antics keep getting in the way.
Ifeatu Melinfanwu is the brother of former Patriot Obi Melinfonwu. They are natives of Grafton, MA. The 5th year Safety via Syracuse was a 3rd round pick (101) of Detroit in the 2021 Draft. The 6’2 1/2 “, 205-pound Safety ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at the combine. Melinfanwu had a 49 grade from PFF, which was 86th in the league for Safeties. Minkah Fitzpatrick was he linchpin in the big trade with the Steelers. The accomplished 6’1” 207-pound Safety was a 3× First-team All-Pro, 5× Pro Bowl selection, and (2024) Bart Starr Award “best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community”. The award is given by Athletes in Action, a sports ministry. Miami made Fitzpatrick their 2018 1st round pick (11) from Alabama. Fitzpatrick was traded in 2019 to Pittsburgh for their 1st round pick, which eventually became starting OT Austin Jackson.
Storm Duck (great name), is an UDFA out of North Carolina and signed with Miami after the conclusion of the 2025 Draft. The 6’1”, 200-pound DB has good size and speed. Duck ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Last week, he graded out at a low 43.1, 96th amongst CBs. If Duck falters, Rasul Douglas may be pressed into service. The 30-year-old veteran signed with Miami just before the final cutdown date as a backup. The 6’2”, 209-pound DB has played for 4 NFL teams and 23 other Practice Squads entering his 9th season. Originally, he was 2017 3rd round (99) pick of the Eagles.
Jason Marshall is the Nickel Back. He was a highly recruited 5-star recruit in High School, and he started 7 games as a true freshman. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 204 pounds. At the combine, he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash. However, NFL Draft Buzz describes him as an Outside Zone defender, which doesn’t match up with the requirements to cover those quick slot receivers.
| Starter | 2nd | 3rd | |
| PK | Riley Patterson | Jason Sanders IR | – |
| P | Jake Bailey | ||
| H | Jake Bailey | – | – |
| PR | Malik Washington | Tyreek Hill | Jaylen Waddle Q |
| KR | Malik Washington | Dee Eskridge | Jaylen Wright |
| LS | Joe Cardona |
The Dolphins Special Team looks like a Patriots Alumni Association. Jake Bailey is their Punter and Joe Cardona is the Longsnapper. Riley Patterson has been elevated from the Practice Squad to kick for the injured Jason Sanders. Malik Washington only had 1 Kickoff return for 20 yards and that was the 2nd worst in the league. He had no Punt Returns. It’s only one week, so these stats could be skewered.
This appears to be unrelated to his previous medical issue, according to head Coach Mike Vrabel. It sounds like Zak Kuhr will assume the Defensive Signal calling this week, with 2nd year coach Vinnie DePalma assuming the ILB coaching duties. Williams’ medical condition is far more important than Football, and I am sure the team will give him all the time he needs. This is a big opportunity for DePalma, just two years out of Boston College. He went directly into coaching rather than trying to play in the league,
Relative Athletic Score, a number compiled by NFL analyst Kent Lee Platte, has become a staple of pre-draft discussion about prospects. While not the be-all and end-all of player projection, it does give some context where certain players’ athletic strengths and weaknesses lie.
The same can be said for teams as a whole. A recent analysis of the NFL’s 32 roster reveals that, if using RAS as the basis, the Patriots have one of the least athletic teams in the league entering 2025: they are ranked 30th with an average score of 7.05, a slight step back from 2024 (when they were ranked 28th). New England is 29th in players over 8.0 and 30th in players under 5.0.
The Patriots re-signed Jack Conley to the Practice Squad. Interesting, DJ James cleared waivers but didn’t re-sign with the Patriots.
Kendrick Bourne was signed to the 49’ers 53-man Roster.
Monty Rice was signed to the Lions Practice Squad.
John Parker-Romo signed with Falcons Practice Squad.
Former Patriot Sam Roberts also signed with the Falcons Practice Squad.
The Patriots still haven’t filled the 53rd spot on the roster.
The Patriots never play well in South Florida, especially early in the season. The Florida heat and humidity are something the Northern team is not prepared for. Mike Vrabel has run a very mild training camp, resting many veterans and managing their reps. He did not make the team run the hill so that they were in superior shape. He is trying to keep them fresh for the long grind of a 17 games season. They don’t have their Bye Week until the last week, Week 14.
Miami was embarrassed last week in Indianapolis, and they will take it out on the Patriots. During their day off this week, the players held a Players Only meeting. This is very early for this type of meeting, and I think this is a very important early season game for the Phins. If they lose this game, this team will implode and probably get Mike McDaniels fired. Do they want to play for their coach?
Who controls the line of scrimmage will determine who wins the game? Which team can establish a run game will control the game. The Dolphins have some big home run hitters who can take it to the house at any time. Their pass rushers are very good and could give the Patriots O-line fits.
I don’t like the possibility of Zack Seiler matched up against Patriots Rookie Jared Wilson. Seiler has had back-to-back seasons of 10 sacks. Wilson had an abysmal 33.8 Pass Blocking grade from PFF. That was 70th of 78 OG in the league.
Drake Maye has to come out fast and play withing himself. I would design an easy pitch and catch so he gets his legs under him. I suspect the Dolphins will try and speed up Maye and drop back in zone coverage.
Bottom line will be another Patriots loss 24-21, with the Dolphins coming out ahead. Close but no cigar!
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The Dolphins have personnel issues that are worse than anything NE has. This is a perfect time to get W for NE. Won’t be easy but none of the games are.