The Miami Dolphins have collected their first preseason win of the 2021 campaign, putting the finishing touches on a dominating 37-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons this evening. Miami left little doubt from the start of this game — which forced the drama of the contest to be pulled from other places after Miami pushed out to a 14-3 lead and subsequently forced a turnover on downs on the Falcons’ third possession of the game.
There was still plenty of drama to be found; primarily in exploring the depth of Miami’s roster and who would be able to make a splash in their bid to make the team.
Here are three Dolphins players on the roster bubble who helped their cause in Week 2 of the preseason versus Atlanta:
LB Sam Eguavoen
Four sacks, a safety and a team leading 11 tackles? Yeah, that’ll do it. Eguavoen was a man possessed on the field tonight — all after spending some time this week on the reserve/COVID-19 list for presumably being a close contact with someone who had tested positive for the virus. Miami has brought in a number of new players to the linebacker room but Eguavoen is clearly intent on forcing them to find another spot off the 53-man roster to take; and if Eguavoen is going to produce like this again next week, he should be considered a shoo-in for the active roster.
Eguavoen played like his job depended on it tonight, in part because it might.
WR Kirk Merritt
Merritt wasn’t the team’s leading receiver in catches and yards (Mack Hollins), nor did he have the team’s longest reception (Mike Gesicki). But Merritt might have had the most impressive 1-2 combination of plays out of any pass catcher. The first, a reception in traffic over the middle that saw Merritt twist out of tackle and sprint down field for a big 27-yard gain. The other? A fade thrown from 2-yards out courtesy of Reid Sinnett for the final touchdown of the game.
In all, Merritt caught all three of his targets and, amid the injuries at wide receiver for Miami, showed there’s plenty of athleticism and potential awaiting a little further down the depth chart if the Dolphins need to tap into it.
LB Calvin Munson
Munson is in an unenviable spot — he’s a long shot to make the roster. But his leaping interception of Falcons QB Feleipe Franks set Miami up on a short field in the 4th-quarter and helped put the final finishing touches on the win. Munson nearly returned the interception for a score, too. He’ll need a few more big plays next week to sell Miami that he deserves a roster spot in September but this is at least a big exclamation point for his argument this week.