The Miami Dolphins have grown accustomed to life “on the clock”. The Dolphins have owned a serious amount of draft capital over the past few years, so being on a timeline to make critical decisions isn’t necessarily foreign territory for this group. But this is a different kind of clock the Dolphins find themselves on this morning; because by 4PM EST on Tuesday, the team must find their way down to 53 players on the active roster.
Good luck, given some of the positional battles we’ve seen unfold for this team. But never the less the act must be complete, and so Miami must now go to work and define their roster for the season. The good news? The pack was separated a bit on Sunday against the Bengals.
Here are three Dolphins players on the roster bubble who helped their cause in Week 3 of the preseason versus Cincinnati:
OT Larnel Coleman
Coleman was facing a good amount of pressure in this game after the team acquired Greg Little earlier in the preseason via trade. And “pressure” is a good way to describe his day against Cincinnati; as in he gave up a lot of it. Coleman looked uncomfortable during his time on the right side of the line and consistently lost at first contact. Whether he was getting beat inside or being collapsed with power, Coleman’s play is a sobering reminder that he’s a small-school 7th-round draft choice and likely needs time and patience before he’s ready for the 53-man roster.
LB Duke Riley
Riley has plenty of NFL experience as an NFL player; so seasoning isn’t a sticking point for him as compared to Coleman. But Riley got cooked in coverage against RB Chris Evans from the slot on a 29-yard touchdown strike and appeared to give up room on a number of other targets over the middle of the field. His value as a player stems in his speed and ability to cover space; but he has to hope that value translates over to special teams if he’s going to finalize a spot on the 53-man roster without incident.
DB Jamal Perry
Perry is presumably in a battle with UDFA Trill Williams at cornerback for the 6th cornerback spot on the roster. Perry got to show his versatility on Sunday by playing some free safety, too. That will help. But dropping a gifted interception over the middle that would have provided a big turnover for the Dolphins in Sunday’s contest sure does leave a sour taste in one’s mouth. Perry has to hope his experience and quickness is enough to help the team not think too hard about his missed opportunity against the Bengals.