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MORSE: Week 18 Preview of the Miami Dolphins

Dolphins face a cold, meaningless road game with rookie QB Quinn Ewers and key injuries looming

Mark Morse

January 3, 2026 at 1:09 pm ET

MORSE: Week 18 Preview of the Miami Dolphins

(PHOTO: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)

🕑 Read Time: 7 minutes

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The 7-9 Dolphins have nothing to play for. They travel to New England in the dead of winter for a game that means nothing to them. It will be cold in the low 30s, and we all know how difficult it is for teams from Southern Florida to play up north late in the season. The Dolphins players just want to get this game over with, collect a paycheck, and get back to sunny Florida without any injuries. Originally scheduled for 1:00, the NFL flexed the start time to 4:00 to coincide with the Denver Broncos game, deciding who will get the #2 seed in the playoffs.

Quite frankly, I don’t know how Mike McDaniel has lasted this long in Miami.

Offense 3WR 1TE

The Miami Offense is ranked 25^th overall, gaining 308.3 Yards Per Game (YPG). Passing they have 184.4 YPG which is also 25^th. Rushing the tun for 123.8 YPG and 10^th in the league. Scoring the get 21.1 Points Per Game, In the Red Zone are 57.8% which is 16^th, and on 3^rd down they are successful ay 34.6% which is 27^th.

	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
QB	Quinn Ewers	Zach Wilson	Tua Tagovailoa	–
RB	De’Von Achane	Jaylen Wright	Ollie Gordon	Alexander Mattison IR
WR	Jaylen Waddle	Theo Wease	Dee Eskridge IR
WR	Malik Washington	Tahj Washington	Tyreek Hill IR	–
WR	Cedrick Wilson	Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
TE	Darren Waller	Greg Dulcich	Julian Hill	Jalin Conyers IR
FB	Alec Ingold
LT	Patrick Paul	Kendall Lamm	Yodny Cajuste IR	Germain Ifedi IR
LG	Jonah Savaiinaea	Daniel Brunskill	Liam Eichenberg O
C	Aaron Brewer Q	Andrew Meyer	Daniel Brunskill
RG	Cole Strange	James Daniels IR
RT	Austin Jackson	Larry Borom	–	–

Rookie Quinn Ewers is in at QB for the Dolphins. Ewers played in 3 games, starting the last two. On the season, Ewers has completed 39 passes on 60 attempts at 65% completion %, for 485 yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. The 6’2”, 232-pound QB played at Texas and lasted until he was selected by Miami in the 7^th round (231) of the 2025 Draft. Sunday will be Ewers’ 1^st road start. His backup is Zach Wilson, and he recently picked up Cam Miller. I think this will be the last game Tua Tagovailoa will be on a Dolphins roster, and I don’t expect him to dress for the game.

De’Von Archane is a beast at running back. He has missed all the practice this week with a shoulder injury and is Questionable for Sunday. The Patriots held him to under 50 yards in week 2. He leads the league in yards after 1^st contact. On the season, he has 238 carries for 1350 yards, 5.7 YPC, 8 TDs, and 1 Fumble. That is way too many carries for a player that is undersized at 5’8”, 188 pounds. Archane played at Texas A&M and was selected in the 2023 draft, 3^rd round (85) by the Phins. He is a big threat out of the backfield with 67 receptions on 90 targets, 7.3 YPC, and 4 TDs. Jaylen Wright was supposed to lighten the load for Archane. The 5’11”, 210-pound back out of Tennessee was drafted in the 2024 draft, 4^th round (121) by Miami. On the season, he has 57 carries for 265 yards, 4.6 YPC, 2 TDs, and no Fumbles. Out of the backfield, he has 3 catches on 7 targets, for 27 yards, 9.0 YPC, and no TDs. He missed the first 6 games of the season and played in only 9 games. Rookie Ollie Gordon is a big back out of Oklahoma State. The 6’2”, 225-pound back was selected by Miami in the 2025 draft, 6th round, 181. On the season, he has 61 carries for 190 yards, 3.1 YPC, and 3 TDs, without a fumble. He has played every game this year for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins utilize a fullback in Alec Ingold. He has just 2 carries for 9 yards. He does have 7 receptions on 9 targets for 49 yards, 7.0 YPC, and a TD.

Tyreek Hill was the big threat for the Dolphins but he has been out on IR since week 5. Jaden Waddle is still dangerous, but the assortment of QBs the Phins have used has made him useless. On the season, he has 64 catches on 100 targets (only a 64% catch rate), 910 yards, 14.2 YPC, and 6 TDs. Could you imagine what a player like Waddle could do on the Patriots? Maik Washington is next up with 43 catches on 61 targets for 311 yards (7.2) YPC, and 2 TDs. It gets worse, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is the 3^rd WR with just 11 catches on 20 targets for 89 yards, 8.1 YPC and no TDs. Combine Ewers’ mediocre yardage and the Phins’ mediocre receivers, and you have a recipe for disaster. Stack the box, stop the run, and force Ewers into long down and distance.

The Tight End group is pretty good with Darren Waller returning from retirement. Waller has 24 catches on 34 targets for 283 yards, 11.8 YPC, and 6 TDs. He has only played 9 games. Greg Dulcich was claimed off waivers from the Giants on cutdown day. He has appeared in 9 games also. On the season, he has 23 catches on 29 targets for 304 yards, 13.2 YPC, and 1 TD. Julian Hill is the 3^rd TE and is more of a blocker. He has 14 catches on 19 targets for 132 yards and 0 TDs.

The Offensive line has been a mess for the Dolphins, even though Miami invested heavily in the draft on Linemen. Left Tackle Patrick Paul has improved from his rookie season, which could only be called disastrous. His PFF grade was 44.9 in 2024. It is very difficult for a rookie Left Tackle to be thrown into the fire and survive. In Comparison, Will Campbell has a 71.5 Grade from PFF, which is 33 / 86 Tackles. That’s right at the midpoint of 64 starting tackles in the league. Campbell has done this with a rookie Left Guard next to him. The 6’7”, 325-pound Paul played for Houston and was selected in the 2024 2^nd round (55) by Miami. His PFF grade is vastly improved to 65.5, 46^th / 86 Tackles. He has given up 4 Sacks, 2 QB Hits, 18 Hurries, and 24 Pressures. Paul is now playing with a rookie Left Guard, Jonah Savaiinea. The Arizona State product was high on the Patriots’ radar in this past draft and was rumored to be desiring to move up in the second round to take him. Good thing that Miami jumped ahead of them to take him. You thought Patrick Paul’s rookie season was bad, Savaiinea has been much worse. The 6’5”, 336-pound Guard was taken in the 2025 2^nd round (37). His PFF grade is an abysmal 29.1, 80 / 80 Guards. On the season, he has given up 6 Sacks, 4 QB Hits, 32 Hurries, and 42 Pressures.

Defense Base 4-3

The Dolphins defense gives up 342 YPG 21^st, Passing 216.5 YPG18^th, Run Defense 125.5 YPG 24^th, Scoring 24.1 Points Per Game 21^st, RedZone 57.9%, 17^th, and 3^rd Down 39.4% 13^th.

	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
LDE	Chop Robinson Q	–	–	–
LDT	Zach Sieler	Kenneth Grant	Matthew Butler
RDT	Jordan Phillips	Zeek Biggers	Benito Jones IR
RDE	Bradley Chubb			–
WLB	Jordyn Brooks Q	Willie Gay
MLB	Tyrel Dodson	K.J. Britt Q	Jackson Woodard	–
SLB	Cameron Goode	Quinton Bell	Jordan Colbert IR	Caleb Johnson
LCB	Jack Jones	Ethan Bonner	JuJu Brents IR	Artie Burns IR
SS	Ashtyn Davis	Dante Trader Jr.
FS	Minkah Fitzpatrick O	Ifeatu Melifonwu	Elijah Campbell IR	–
RCB	Jason Marshall	A.J. Green III	Storm Duck IR	–
NB	Rasul Douglas	Ethan Robinson	Kader Kohou IR	Isaiah Johnson IR

Miami has three key defenders who are Questionable for Sunday. Minkah Fitzpatrick has been ruled out for Sunday. Chop Robinson and Jordyn Brooks are listed as Questionable.

The Defensive line is led by RDE Bradley Chubb. He is having a bad season. The 6’4”, 275-pound Edge player from NC State was selected in the 2018 draft, 1st round (5) by Denver. His PFF grade is 55.7, 95^th of 115 Edge players. On the season, he has 46 Tackles, 8.5 Sacks, & QB Hits and 30 Hurries. LDE Chop Robinson is Questionable. The 6’3”, 250-pound Backer played at Penn State. He was drafted in the 2024 1^st round (21) by Miami. His PFF grade is 54.3, 100 of 115 edge players. On the season, he has 21 Tackles, 4 sacks, 1 QB hit, and 14 Hurries.

Zach Sieler started the season slowly but has really come on lately. The 6’6”, 305 DT played at Ferris State and was a 2018 7^th round (239) selection by Baltimore. His PFF grade is 61, good for 55^th of 132 DTs. On the season, he has 44 Tackles, 5.5 Sacks, 4 QB Hits, and 23 Hurries. Rookie Jordan Phillips is a 6’3”, 320-pound DT who played for Maryland. He was selected in the 2025 5^th round (143) by Miami. His PFF grade is 52.6, 85^th of 122 DTs. On the season, he has 29 Tackles, 0 sacks, 0 QB Hits, and 1 Hurry.

Mike Vrabel and Mike McDaniel

(PHOTO: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

The Linebackers are led by Jordyn Brooks, who is also listed as Questionable. If he can’t go, that would be a big loss for the Phins. The 6’2” 245-pound Linebacker played at Texas Tech and was selected in the 2020 1^st round ( 27) by Seattle. His PFF grade is 78.4, 9^th of 87 Linebackers. On the season, he has a whopping 174 Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 0 QB Hits, and 11 Hurries. Tyrel Dotson is a relative unknown at MLB. The 6’ 237-pound Backer played at Texas A&M and went Undrafted in the 2019 Draft and was signed by Buffalo. His PFF grade is 57.3, 55^th of 87 Linebackers. On the season, he has 121 tackles, 5 Sacks, 2 QB Hits, and 9 Hurries. Cameron Goode has filled in as a hybrid LB/Edge player. The 6’3” 238-pound Edge played at California and was a 2022 7^th round (225) by Miami. His PFF grade is a decent 65.,5 but doesn’t have enough snaps to qualify for a ranking. On the season, he has 21 Tackles, 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, and 2 Hurries.

The secondary was led by FS Minka Fitzpatrick but he has been ruled out for Sunday. His replacement will likely be Ifeatu Melinfonwu. The 6’3”, 210-pound Safety played at Syracuse. He was drafted by Detroit in the 2021 Draft, 3^rd round (101). He hails from Grafton, MA., and his brother Obi played for the Patriots. His PFF grade is 62, 62nd of 198 CBs. On the season, he has 48 Tackles. 1 Sack, 0 QB Hits, 1 Hurry, and 1 Interception. Ashtyn Davis is the Strong Safety. The 6’1”, 202-pound SS played at California and was selected in the 2020 Draft, 3^rd round (68) by the New York Jets. His PFF grade is 51.6, good for 87 of 98 Safeties. On the season, he has 60 Tackles, 0 Sacks or QB Hits, 2 Hurries, and an Interception.

The former Patriots draft pick, Jack Jones is the starting Left cornerback. The 5’11”, 180-pound DB played at Arizona State, and was selected by the Patriots in the 2022 draft, 4^th round (121). His PFF grade is 61.1, 62 of 113 CBs. On the season, he has 73 Tackles, 0 Sacks or QB Hits, 2 Hurries, and an Interception. Jones will gamble a lot. He is not a very good CB. He was also the player arrested for trying to bring a loaded gun on a plane at Logan. All charges were dropped.

Rookie Jason Marshall is the RCB. The 6’1”, 201-pound DB played at Florida and was taken in this year’s draft in the 5^th round (151) by Miami. His PFF grade is an abysmal 40.3. He doesn’t have enough snaps to qualify for a rank. On the season, he has 22 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 1 QB Hit, 0 Hurries, and 1 Interception. Rasul Douglad is the Slot Corner and a very good one at that. The 6’2”, 209-pound DB played at West Virginia and was selected in the 2017 Draft, 3rd round (99) by Philadelphia. His PFF grade is 74.6, good for 13^th of 113 CBs. On the season, he has 59 tackles, 1 Sack, 1 QB Hit, 1 Hurry, and 2 INTs.

Special Teams

	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
PK	Riley Patterson	Jason Sanders IR	–	–
P	Jake Bailey	–	–
H	Jake Bailey	–	–	–
PR	Malik Washington	Jaylen Waddle	Cedrick Wilson	–
KR	Malik Washington	Jaylen Wright	Ollie Gordon	Dee Eskridge IR
LS	Joe Cardona

Kicker Riley Patterson has filled in very well for Jason Sanders in the kicking game. He is Ted for 4^th with 92.9 FG% and is 13^th in FGM. Punter Jake Bailery, a former Patriot, is 13^th in the league with a 42.7 Net Punt average. Kick Returner Malik Washington ranks 8^th in Punt Return average with 13.4 YPR. On Kickoffs, he is 9^th with an average of 26.8 YPR.

Comings and Goings

The Patriots added rookie DB Kobee Minor to the 53-man roster. The last selection in the draft, “Mr. Irrelevant,” addition to the roster means that all 11 Draft Picks made the roster by the end of the season.

G Brenden Jaimes and DB Miles Battle cleared waivers and were signed to the Practice Squad.

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About Mark Morse

Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.