As the Miami Dolphins get ready for their Week 9 matchup with the Houston Texans, there’s a pretty large sample size to evaluate the play of the team. Miami’s 1-7 record would seem to indicate that the team isn’t very talented, but there have been some impressive performances through the first eight games.
While some players have made game-changing plays, sometimes the guys who have the best seasons are those whose numbers don’t jump off the official stat sheet. Those guys who impact the play but don’t register sacks are the ones to come to mind first, and that’s exactly what we see from this list from Pro Football Focus of the Dolphins’ top performers through Week 8.
Highest graded #Dolphins this season (min. 25% snaps)
1️⃣ Emmanuel Ogbah: 84.8
2️⃣ Christian Wilkins: 80.8
3️⃣ Zach Sieler: 77.7
4️⃣ Tua Tagovailoa: 73.0
5️⃣ DeVante Parker/John Jenkins 72.7 pic.twitter.com/gX51BVxOEF— PFF MIA Dolphins (@PFF_Dolphins) November 2, 2021
Emmanuel Ogbah and Christian Wilkins are both having great seasons, but they have only recorded 2.5 sacks. They are pressuring the quarterback, clogging lanes, and getting their hands on balls. Zach Sieler doesn’t get the playing time that the other two do, but he’s been impactful in his role.
Tua Tagovailoa being the fourth-ranked player in Miami is concerning considering his 73.0 grade. That’s good for 22nd in the NFL for quarterbacks. It’s not exactly ideal.
DeVante Parker and John Jenkins round out the list. Both players haven’t played all that much with Parker playing in just five games due to his hamstring, and John Jenkins stepping up in five himself mostly to fill in for Raekwon Davis.
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