By Joel Perez 
The Dolphins may have lost 27 to 13 in Week 1, but there were still a few young players who gave us something to look forward to. And honestly, that’s what I’m most interested in seeing from this team right now.
We already knew this was going to be a difficult season, so seeing some of these young guys shining is going to be important. Caleb Douglas, Malik Willis, and Jacob Rodriguez are all players I’ll be keeping a close eye on moving forward.
Caleb Douglas was probably my biggest takeaway from the game.
The third rounder out of Texas Tech had himself a hell of a regular season debut, finishing with 5 receptions for 94 yards. BRO IS HUGE.
Douglas measures out at around 6’3” to 6’4”, and that size was definitely noticeable. What impressed me most was his ability to get separation and make plays with that frame. Obviously, it’s only Week 1, but if he can continue to develop into a reliable option in this offense, that would be a really nice development for the Dolphins.
Malik Willis didn’t play horribly either.
He did get sacked 5 times, didn’t throw a touchdown, and unfortunately did throw an interception, but I still liked some of what I saw from him. The attempts were there, and I think there were some things to build on.
The bigger issue for me was the lack of separation from the receivers. If Malik is going to have a chance to really thrive in this offense, we need to see more of that. It’s difficult for any quarterback to succeed when guys aren’t creating enough space to make plays.
And that brings me to DeVon Achane.
Achane being the best offensive player on this team means that defenses are going to be focused on him. That’s just the reality of it. When you have a guy who can change a game every time he touches the ball, you already know the opposing defense is going to be looking for him and only him.
So expecting him to shine every single game, especially as we start facing better teams, may be a little unrealistic. The hope is that some of these other guys can start making enough plays that defenses have to respect them too.
Whether that means Achane gets more quality looks because the offense is opening up, or he becomes more of a decoy for other guys to shine, that’s what I want to see. We need other players to start making an impact so that Achane isn’t always the sole focus of the offense.
Defensively, Jacob Rodriguez and Jordyn Brooks combined for 11 tackles, and there were definitely some plays where they showed some promise. Rodriguez in particular has already been getting a lot of praise from the coaching staff, and it’s easy to see why. He’s already becoming a leader on this defense, and that’s something I’m excited to watch develop.
But honestly, our defense wasn’t great either.
And again, THAT WAS EXPECTED.
We’re only in Week 1, and this is a young team that’s going to have its struggles. That doesn’t mean there aren’t things to be excited about, but I think we have to be realistic about what this season is going to look like.
And of course, we already have former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick before the season saying we may not even win a game this season.
To that I say, damn brother, you may be right.
But hey, I want to see some of these young guys shine. Caleb Douglas really impressed me with his ability to get separation and make plays, especially considering how huge he is. Jacob Rodriguez is already getting praise from the coaching staff and becoming a leader on the defense.
Those are the kinds of things I’m looking for this season.
The Dolphins may have lost 27 to 13, but Week 1 gave us a few young players worth keeping an eye on. And if some of these guys can continue to develop, maybe we’ll have a few more reasons to be excited as the season goes on.
Joel Perez