The Miami Dolphins will head home after Saturday’s 20-13 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bears looking to recalibrate their expectations. This goes for the coaching staff and players alike — and potentially even the front office if the team decides they didn’t like what they saw in any specific areas of the field. But for bubble players, yesterday’s game was a time to make a statement and potentially help sell the Dolphins on their viability as a roster player for the regular season.
Who is walking away from Saturday’s contest against the Bears feeling good about the statement they provided? Here are three bubble players who helped themselves against Chicago.
SAF Clayton Fejedelem
Fejedelem made several good plays throughout the course of the game, including contesting a pass over the middle that was nearly intercepted after Fejedelem undercut the throw and tipped it into the air. Between that, his play near the line of scrimmage and his already proven run support skills, Fejedelem can walk away from today’s game feeling good about the impression he left in Chicago.
WR Lynn Bowden Jr.
Bowden Jr. was targeted 5 times and had 4 catches for 47 yards on the day. Only one other Dolphins receiver (Adam Shaheen, 3) had more than two targets for the entire game; so Bowden Jr. can definitely feel good about the volume of his workload and what he was able to show the coaching staff. Did he make any spectacular plays? Not necessarily. But he was reliable as a target and caught the football in his afforded opportunities — which is plenty good for a start. How Miami feeds him the ball going forward will be interesting to monitor, especially as the more high-profile receivers start getting phased into action.
PR Jakeem Grant
Miami used three punt returners: Grant, rookie WR Jaylen Waddle and second-year WR Malcolm Perry. Perry was good. Waddle looked electric in his only touch on the day. But Grant had the best return (a 34-yard romp) and nearly scored. Grant will need caliber of performance on a consistent basis to help push into a roster spot amid his concerns regarding his upside on offense. But yesterday’s showing is a good start.