It wouldn’t be wise to overreact.
That said, the first few drives of the coach Jeff Hafley era – both offensively and defensively – has to inspire a little bit of hope.
And while the Dolphins couldn’t get much going without the starters as the team fell 20-7 to the Washington Commanders, a first-quarter pass-and-catch from quarterback Malik Willis to rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas should inspire confidence in the fan base.
With 11:57 left on the clock and Miami facing its first third down under Hafley, the quarterback fired a ball across the field to Douglas who managed to contort his body, extend with one hand and come down with the football for a 28-yard catch. It was an incredible moment not just for the duo but what could happen in the future.
“It was pretty incredible and I look forward to watching it on tape,” Hafley said.
Just like his coach, the rookie tried to downplay the incredible feat.
“I really just made a good play on the ball,” Douglas said. The one-handed nature of the grab was nothing more than a necessity considering how cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. had held him. “I couldn’t really bring my other hand in.”
Sure, this just might be preseason but to see the connection manifest itself against a different team cannot be overlooked.
MALIK WILLIS LOOKS THE PART
Yes, the sample size was small. Yes, he only threw five passes. And yes, he only scrambled once.
Still, it’s difficult not to be a fan of Willis’ command of the offense. The quarterback finished with 43 yards on 80% completion, a stat line that doesn’t immediately jump off the page but was very serviceable.
“He’s very confident in calling his plays,” offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor said of Willis, later adding that “he did a tremendous job of leading us out there.”
With the Dolphins backed up on their own 7-yard line to start the game, Willis led the offense on a 14-play, 93-yard drive that ended with a one-yard scamper courtesy of running back De’Von Achane.
From the decision-making to the ball placement to even his two scrambles for nine yards, you couldn’t ask for a better opening drive for the first time starter.
“Just the consistency of the guys out there,” Willis said when asked about what he liked from his first series. “Keeping up the energy and the execution all the way down the field.”
THE STARTING OFFENSIVE LINE MIGHT BE LEGIT
There’s a select group of Dolphins fans who will forever view Proctor’s career through the prism of what could’ve been.
That’s because both Miami edge Rueben Bain Jr. and Ohio State safety Caleb Douglas were both still available when the Dolphins opted to select the offensive lineman.
If the Dolphins run game can replicate its showing against the Commanders then those doubters might soon find themselves silenced. Not only did Miami’s new look offensive line, complete with Proctor at left guard and Jonah Savaiianae moved to right guard, keep Willis clean, it created holes that allowed Achane to rush for 36 yards and a touchdown off of just seven carries.
“He did a really good job,” Hafley said of Achane. “I was a proud of him and I was a proud of the o-line [and] the way they blocked.”
Proctor said it quite plainly after being drafted that the Dolphins want to “run the s**t” out of the ball. After Friday night’s showing, he might just be right.
LINEBACKER LOOKS TO BE THE STRONGEST UNIT
It should come as no surprise that linebacker remains the deepest unit on the Dolphins.
That’s where, of course, first-team All-Pro Jordyn Brooks resides.
But even with the star linebacker sidelined, the starting and backup unit still played well.
Willie Gay Jr. flew around, punctuated by a first-quarter tackle in which he hawked down a scrambling quarterback Sam Hartman for a short again. Tyrel Dodson hit of Marcus Mariota quite literally forced the quarterback out of the game a play later. And Jacob Rodriguez managed to swat a ball at the line of scrimmage.
DEPTH IS AN ISSUE
The Dolphins starters scored seven points and didn’t allow a score.
Everything changed when the backups entered the game.
Not only did the offense have three turnovers, all of which were interceptions from Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller, the unit barely moved the ball. The Dolphins finished with 226 yards on the day yet 93 of it came on the opening drive.
Ewers looked particularly lackluster, completing just one of his eight passes for 27 yards and an interception. Miller, unfortunately, wasn’t much better as he threw for 39 yards on 27% completion and two picks.
Defensively, it didn’t look much better. The backups allowed 20 unanswered points and more than 300 yards.
While the starters certainly looked acceptable, depth could blossom into a bigger issue if the injuries start to pile up.
This story was originally published August 14, 2026 at 10:08 PM.
Miami Herald
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.