Dolphins to play some starters vs. Buccaneers: 'There’s jobs to be won'

The Miami Dolphins sat out all their starters in a preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons and mixed in some of them against the Washington Commanders. The plan for the preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will mimic the Dolphins’ last game, with only some starters seeing action.

“We will play some starters. We won’t play others,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday. “There’s jobs to be won and then — to really evaluate all of the jobs at stake — you end up prioritizing certain aspects of your team and getting game reps for the guys that haven’t played in games as much.

“So for a majority of the starters, today is a very big practice because some of them won’t play – there will be some that do, but that is just kind of how I look at it overall. Case by case but trending that way.”

The list of Dolphins players who haven’t played in the preseason at all so far is long and includes Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Terron Armstead, and Jalen Ramsey, along with several others.

It’s not an entirely new experience for some of those players, though. Last year, Waddle sat out all three preseason games with an undisclosed injury. On Wednesday, the Dolphins receiver said it was a little jarring to go straight into the regular season without taking any preseason reps.

“That’s the first time being tackled in six, seven months,” Waddle said. “So it is a little different, but ultimately, it’s about health and the best thing for the team and for myself.”

The lack of August reps didn’t seem to affect Waddle’s game, though. He still managed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards, becoming the first player in Dolphins history to reach that milestone in each of their first three seasons in the NFL.

Still, Waddle wouldn’t mind if the Dolphins let him get some reps against the Buccaneers on Friday night.

“I’m always ready to go,” Waddle said. “Sometimes they just got to pull me back and keep me from myself and ultimately having me out there for regular season. … I’m always down to get out there and play so whatever they want me to do.”

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played just one drive against the Commanders last week, finishing with five completions on as many attempts for 51 yards and a touchdown.