If you’re looking for a bright spot during an otherwise brutal stretch for the Miami Dolphins, this might be the place. A few of the Dolphins’ draft picks showed some real promise against the Cleveland Browns in Week 7. 

However, this list is also getting much smaller. The team benched rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. following his missed tackle at the end of the Chargers game.

From a “team accountability” standpoint, this is an understandable thing to do. 

Still, it seems like a rather harsh punishment for a young player who owned up to the mistake in the media multiple times last week and was a fifth-round pick. If the Dolphins’ expectations for a fifth-round rookie are that they won’t make rookie mistakes, then that’s a failure on their part, not Trader’s. 

Cutting his snap count is totally fine, but benching him outright (unless there’s an injury we don’t know about) seems a bit extreme. 

Anyway, let’s look at the rookies who did play in Week 7. 

Week 6: Slight Stock UpWeek 7: Stock Up 

Kenneth Grant continued his recent upward trend with probably his best performance of the season in Week 7. He had one pressure and one tackle for loss, to go along with a few run stops near the line of scrimmage. 

The big change for Grant was his ability to anchor at the line of scrimmage. He did a much better job holding his ground and used his quickness to win some real estate in the backfield, too. 

He’s still not offering much as a pass rusher, and the run defense improvement came against an underwhelming Browns offensive line, but progress is progress. The Dolphins don’t have many silver linings at this point, but Grant getting better is a critical one for the future. 

Week 6: No MovementWeek 7: Slight Stock Down 

Unlike Grant, things don’t seem to be turning around for Miami’s other top-40 pick from this draft class. Savaiinaea didn’t have his worst game of the season or anything, but he was not a positive influence on the Dolphins’ offense. 

He was charged with two more pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and both of them were brutal reps where he got collapsed into the pocket. 

There seemed to be a few miscommunications with Patrick Paul in the running game, too, and Savaiinaea missed his own landmarks a few times. 

He did make a block on De’Von Achane’s long 46-yard run in the first quarter, but upon further review, his block was more “just enough” than it was a good play. 

At this point, there isn’t much to say about Savaiinaea. The Dolphins just need to keep working with him and hoping it gets better. 

Week 6: Stock UpWeek 7: Slight Stock Up

Phillips’ day was the opposite of Savaiinaea’s. He had one bad play that got magnified, while the rest of his tape was actually pretty good. 

That one bad play was Quinshon Judkins’ long touchdown run in the second quarter. Phillips got pinned inside by a double team at the point of attack, giving Judkins a clear lane to the second level, where Minkah Fitzpatrick missed a tackle. 

Outside of that rep, Phillips continued to show off his strength as a run defender. He was incredibly stout for the most part, making it hard for the Browns to win in the middle of the line. 

If he can get more consistent shedding blocks with good timing, he’ll go from a solid rotational option to a genuine impact player. He’s still incredibly young (21), so it’s good to see his baseline traits translate already. 

Week 6: No MovementWeek 7: Slight Stock Up 

It’s hard to give a player a big “stock up” when they record just 11 yards on five carries, but Gordon’s tape showed he made the most of his limited opportunities. 

He had a nice run off the left side near the Dolphins’ goal line to give them some space, and he converted a fourth-and-short, which was Miami’s only first “money down” conversion since the first quarter. 

Gordon also caught one of his two targets, and his eight routes run continues a trend of him getting more opportunities in that area. 

Ultimately, the Dolphins could benefit from using Gordon more. When they get under center and hand him the ball, allowing him to get downhill, he picks up tough yards. Again, his negative run came from the shotgun this week — the Dolphins have to lean into what he does well a lot more.

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