Preseason Week 3 Preview: Dolphins at Eagles

Preseason Week 3 begins with a game between the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles. The third week of the preseason is generally considered a “dress rehearsal” for the NFL season, and starting positions and important roles can be won and lost this week. PFF's analysts have all the important position battles and players to watch for each team below:

Coverage by: Cyrus Geller

Position Battle: Andre Branch/Charles Harris, DE

• Through two preseason games, rookie Charles Harris is tied for the ninth most hurries among 37 qualified 4-3 DEs at 4, and tied for the 12th most total pressures at 5.
• Last season in a much higher sample size, Andre Branch was tied for 17th out of 33 qualified 4-3 defensive ends in hurries at 32, and in total pressures at 46.

Players to Watch:

• Jay Cutler, QB – As the top quarterback on the depth chart, Cutler should see a lot of playing time in this third preseason contest. He only played 11 snaps last week against Baltimore, which likely means he will get a decent chunk of snaps against the Eagles. Cutler’s recent struggles are well known, as his 2016 grade of 47.1 was the lowest of his career. The Dolphins will be looking for him to bounce back to the 2013 version of Jay Cutler, where he posted an overall grade of 85.6, which was the second highest of his career.
• Julius Thomas, TE – Thomas played 20 of the 55 offensive snaps last week against the Ravens, so expect him to see a lot of playing time against Philadelphia. Thomas struggled last year, posting an overall grade of 58.5, which ranked 35th out of 62 qualified tight ends, and was also the second lowest grade of his career, behind the 44.9 grade he had his rookie season.
• Damien Williams, RB – The fight for the backup running back spot rages on, and Williams will look to play better this week than he has the last two preseason games. Thus far, Williams has an elusive rating (uses missed tackle rate and yards gained after contact to measure a runner’s success beyond the point of being helped by his blockers) of 0.0 in the preseason, which is tied for the worst rating among 87 qualified running backs.

Coverage by: Mike Alessandrini

Position Battle: LeGarrette Blount/Wendell Smallwood, RB

• Darren Sproles is locked in as the team’s pass-catching third-down back, and will feature heavily in Doug Pederson’s offense. Heading into Philadelphia’s third preseason matchup, the team has a competition brewing for their lead ball carrier.
• Hailed as a bargain free agent addition in May, Blount has struggled in camp and during the Eagles’ first two games. The running back has averaged 1.9 yards per carry in Philadelphia, with his longest run going for just nine yards. Blount earned a 52.4 overall grade in 2016, his final with the Patriots.
• With Blount struggling, the door could be open for Smallwood to win the starting job. The second-year player has yet to play this preseason due to a lingering hamstring injury, but has impressed his coaches since his return to practice. Smallwood had an unimpressive rookie year, forcing just six missed tackles on 77 rushing attempts. His 18.9 elusive rating ranked him 51st out of 54 qualifying running backs.

Players to Watch:

• Carson Wentz, QB – Eagles fans will get their first extended look at their young quarterback this year with the starters expected to play a large number of snaps. Wentz has an 83.3 adjusted completion percentage this preseason, and his 149.0 passer rating under pressure is the highest among quarterbacks.
• Mychal Kendricks, LB – Amidst trade rumors and scheme questions, Kendricks has played extremely well this summer. The linebacker has accumulated one sack, two interceptions and has missed just one tackle in run defense. Kendricks has averaged 8.3 coverage snaps per reception in his two preseason games.
• Alshon Jeffery, WR  – All eyes will be on Philadelphia’s top offensive weapon as he continues to build rapport with Wentz. Jeffery earned a 77.6 overall grade in 2016, averaging 1.87 yards per route run (43rd at his position). This mark was exactly one full yard lower than his 2015 average (2.87, fourth best).