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Miami Dolphins quarterback Quinn Ewers (14) passes the ball against the Chicago Bears during the second half at Soldier Field. David Banks-Imagn Images

Ten Players to Watch in the 2025 Preseason Opener ... How They Performed

Originally posted on Miami Dolphins on SI
By Alain Poupart | Last updated Aug 11, 2025 3:15 PM ET

The Miami Dolphins opened their preseason schedule with a 24-24 tie against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon.

Unlike the usual preseason opener, the Dolphins wound up using every player who wasn't dealing with some kind of an injury, though the focus remained on younger players looking to make their case for a bigger role or at least a spot on the 53-man roster.

Before the game, we listed 10 players to watch in that preseason opener against the Bears, so it's time to revisit them and see how they performed:

DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB QUINN EWERS

Before the game: We'll start off with the third quarterback on the roster and the one without any NFL game action on his resume. Ewers has looked solid for most of training camp, but didn't do very much in the joint practice Friday. This is another step in his development and logic says he should get a good deal of snaps in this game.

How he performed: Don't look at the boxscore because it's not pretty. Ewers finished 5-for-18 for 91 yards with no touchdowns, no picks but two fumbles. The first fumble was bad because it set up a Bears touchdown and he was way too casual with the ball scrambling to avoid backside pressure. The second one came on fourth down, so the Bears would have gotten the ball anyway. More troubling was the inaccuracy we saw on too many throws, something we hadn't seen very often from Ewers in camp. Let's just say this was one to forget.

RB JAYLEN WRIGHT

Before the game: After coming into camp with high expectations based on the flashes he showed as a rookie and viral social media clips of his offseason physique, Wright's training camp performance has been so far frankly a bit underwhelming. A good performance in the preseason opener could serve as a springboard.

How he performed: This was a mixed bag because Wright ran with some authority on a couple of runs with gains of 5, 6 and 7 yards, the last one on his touchdown. But his other six carries were for minus-2, though he looked like he was more the victim of shaky blocking than anything else. With the injury news involving Alexander Mattison, Wright's importance suddenly has grown.

WR TAHJ WASHINGTON

Before the game: After missing his entire rookie season while on injured reserve, Washington has made his share of plays in training camp but still needs to do more to guarantee himself a spot on the initial 53-man roster.

How he performed: The needle continues to point upward after another good performance in the preseason opener. Washington was second on the team with his three catches, but they produced a team-high 53 receiving yards. The first reception was a 9-yard slant from Tua Tagovailoa that converted a third-and-4 and then there was a 34-yard reception from Zach Wilson near the right sideline. At this point, he's going to be awfully difficult to keep off the 53-man roster.

WR DEE ESKRIDGE

Before the game: There isn't much separation among Dolphins wide receivers behind Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, even though 2024 sixth-round pick Malik Washington looks like the front-runner for the No. 3 role. But it's Eskridge who has been the most productive of the backup wide receivers in camp so far and a good performance Sunday could get him closer to securing a roster spot.

How he performed: Like Washington, Eskridge provided more evidence he's going to be tough to keep off the 53-man roster, but it had more to do with his special teams work. Eskridge didn't catch a pass, but he had a 16-yard punt return and a 41-yard kickoff return.

T LARRY BOROM

Before the game: Borom has been taking first-team reps at right tackle in the absence of starter Austin Jackson, who's out with a lower leg injury, and he could become a very important player for the Dolphins in 2025 as the backup swing tackle. His performance in camp has been uneven, though it has picked up in the past few days. But the Dolphins would feel a lot better if he could have a good outing against the Bears.

How he performed: Borom wound up playing more than any other starting offensive lineman outside of rookie second-round pick Jonah Savaiinaea, but his performance was a bit uneven. He was given a grade of 48.4 per PFF, which ranked 10th among Dolphins offensive linemen. It didn't start off well for Borom, who was flagged for illegal formation on the first offensive snap for lining up too far back on the line. The blocking was fine when the first-team offense was on the field, except for the goal-line runs where the penetration came from the middle or left side of the offensive formation.

DOLPHINS DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

DT KENNETH GRANT

Before the game: While we're not sure whether rookie second-round pick Jonah Savaiinaea will play Sunday because he didn't finish the joint practice, we'd be shocked to not see first-round pick Kenneth Grant in the lineup. Grant always is more likely to shine in a game setting than in practice and it obviously would be encouraging to see him flash against the Bears.

How he performed: Grant played the entire first half, and had a very nice sequence toward the end of his stint when he chased down a running back from behind, batted down a pass at the line and then stopped a Bears ball carrier. His PFF grade of 76.6 was seventh among all Dolphins defensive players. This wasn't necessarily spectacular, but a solid debut nonetheless.

DT JORDAN PHILLIPS

Before the game: See Grant, Kenneth. The fifth-round pick figures to be asked to play a significant role as a rookie, even if it's not as significant as what will be asked of Grant, but he simply hasn't been very noticeable yet. The Dolphins clearly would feel better about him with a strong preseason debut showing.

How he performed: Phillips did even better than Grant based on the PFF grades at 82.5, fifth among Dolphins defensive players. He was credited with four tackles, including one solo. But in the four snaps I put my binoculars on him from the press box, he was handled one-on-one by the Bears offensive lineman. So not quite sure what to make of all this.

EDGE GRAYSON MURPHY

Before the game: The Dolphins are going to have to make some tough decisions when it comes to which edge defenders to keep on the 53-man roster with multiple options behind Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Chop Robinson. Quinton Bell seems like a front-runner for the fourth spot, and Murphy pass-rushing potential might land him that fifth spot. But he needs to show an all-around game to stick, and that starts with the game against the Bears.

How he performed: Between defense and special teams, Murphy wound up playing 67 snaps, which is quite a high amount for any player in a preseason game. And this suggests the Dolphins really want more evaluation on him before determining his roster fate. Murphy did have one of the Dolphins' three sacks when he failed to bite on a play fake and made a beeline for QB Case Keenum, but he also was overaggressive of rushing upfield on a play where the Bears leaked their running back behind him for a nice gain. He also was flagged for an offside that turned a second-and-goal from the 10 into a second-and-goal from the 5 on a drive that ended with a Chicago touchdown.

LB WILLIE GAY JR.

Before the game: Gay has been the defensive player who's gotten the most attention for his training camp work, and that's because he's gotten his hands on the ball or gotten to the quarterback so often. But for him to carve out a bigger role on defense, he needs to show consistency and that he can be as good against the run as he is in coverage or blitzing.

How he performed: For someone who had made so many plays in the preseason, Gay certainly got a lot of snaps in the preseason opener with 30. He quickly made an impact play when he helped sack Tyson Bagent on the first drive of the game, though it was Benito Jones who created the loss with his penetration into the backfield. Gay had two other tackles, but overall was pretty quiet and maybe we should temper a little bit the forecast for what he could do for the defense based on his training camp accomplishments.

CB ETHAN BONNER

Before the game: The battle for the two cornerback spots very well might come down to the final days of training camp, and Bonner has had himself a good week of work as his arrow continues to point upward. Who knows what a good performance against the Bears on Sunday could do for him?

How he performed: Bonner looks like somebody on the move in the secondary, and it continued in Chicago when he was responsible for the one takeaway with tight coverage and a tip of a pass by Bagent. While he didn't start, Bonner ended up playing the fewest snaps of any defensive back who was in action, which should be seen as a good sign for him.