Dolphins Ready For Lone Home Preseason Game Versus Falcons On Saturday
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Dolphins play their second preseason game Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium against Atlanta.
It's the team's only home preseason game since the NFL changed from four to three preseason games played overall.
Like last week in Chicago with the Bears, the Dolphins practiced two days with the Falcons this week.
Coach Brian Flores said the joint workouts are as close as you can get to game conditions without playing a game.
After this week's game, the Dolphins have three weeks until the regular season opener in New England on September 12. In those three weeks, they'll see another team just once, the preseason finale in Cincinnati August 29.
The team continues to look for the right combination on the offensive line. Rookie Liam Eichenberg, right now anyway, is the backup to Jesse Davis at right tackle and Solomon Kindley at left guard. But, we know that can change in a hurry. Eichenberg has started at both positions in camp, but got injured in Chicago and missed the first preseason game.
Michael Deiter has taken the starting center spot from day one of training camp, while Robert Hunt and Austin Jackson have stayed in their offensive line positions throughout as well.
While some NFL teams aren't playing many starters in the preseason, the Dolphins want to get players in game situations. Star cornerback Xavien Howard said Thursday he expects to play in the preseason.
Competition remains at many positions, so Saturday night will be another opportunity for those players trying to earn roster spots – whether on the Dolphins or another team.
At wide receiver, the team is still dealing with players being injured. Albert Wilson, DeVante Parker and Will Fuller remain on the mend. But there was good news Thursday when Preston Williams, along with linebacker Elandon Roberts, came off the Physically Unable to Perform list, returning to practice. However, Lynn Bowden left practice with an apparent leg injury after making a catch. As the saying goes, you can never have too many players in camp.
After Jakeem Grant and rookie Jaylen Waddle both had big days returning punts in Chicago, we will see Saturday if they split up the returns again.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. from Hard Rock Stadium. Join Jason Taylor, Kim Bokamper and Steve "Goldie" Goldstein for all the action only on CBS4.
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Check back for a full game recap Saturday night.
