We'll start with the list of inactives, which was highlighted by veterans Jalen Tolbert and Wille Gay Jr., the latter being kept out after missing practice time this week because of illness.
The only Dolphins players who were active but did not play were backup quarterback Kyle McCord and tight end Justin Joly. The rookie was active for only the second time this season.
Since we've been keeping track every game, the starting lineup was back to seven rookies with the return of Caleb Douglas, even though he did replace fellow rookie Chris Bell as a starter. But fullback DJ Herman was back as a starter, joining Will Kacmarek at tight end, guard Kadyn Proctor, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Michael Taaffe.
DOLPHINS OFFENSE OBSERVATIONS
-- While it was Kacmarek who got the start, Greg Dulcich led all tight ends in offensive snaps with 42 compared to 29 for Kacmarek and 11 for rookie Seydou Traore. Before this game, Traore had played only one snap on offense, though head coach Jeff Hafley indicated he liked the progress he had seen from the fifth-round pick.
-- In his first game since the Week 2 loss at San Francisco, Douglas ended up playing 44 of the Dolphins' 65 offensive snaps, which wasn't as much as Malik Washington's 52 snaps but still a got play count in his first game back. And he sure made the most of his time on the field with his two touchdown catches.
-- With the Dolphins controlling the ball more than in any previous game (season-high 34:36 time of possession), Herman played a career-high 29 snaps on offense, topping the 27 he had against the Kansas City Chiefs in the home opener in Week 3.
-- Ollie Gordon II had his second 100-yard rushing outing in his third start and it came on 54 offensive snaps, which actually wasn't his highest total of the season. He played 61 snaps in the loss against Kansas City when he took over as the lead back following De'Von Achane's season-ending knee injury. The good news here is that Gordon clearly didn't slow down because he did some of his best work in the fourth quarter.
-- Newcomer Jared Wayne, claimed off waivers from the Houston Texans during the bye week, got 10 offensive snaps, the same number as Kevin Coleman Jr. Wayne's superior size and physicality makes him a more ideal option to help out with run blocking.
-- The Dolphins used Caedan Wallace as a sixth offensive lineman on five snaps, with mixed results.
-- With Douglas back, Chris Bell wound up with his second-lowest percentage of offensive snaps, his lowest since Week 2. Bell was on the field on offense for 31 snaps, less than half of the team's total.
DOLPHINS DEFENSE OBSERVATIONS
-- Four players were on the field for all the team's 59 defensive snaps — LB Jordyn Brooks, LB Jacob Rodriguez, S Michael Taaffe and CB Chris Johnson.
-- Cornerback JuJu Brents was close as well, finishing with 53 snaps, but he left the game temporarily because of an injury. Brents opened with Jason Marshall Jr. on the outside and Johnson as the nick corner, a lineup the Dolphins used on about 50 percent of their defensive snaps.
-- Safety Dante Trader Jr. also left the game temporarily with an injury (shoulder), which led to Zayne Anderson getting 14 snaps on defense after he played only two against Cincinnati in Week 5.
-- Josh Uche, who continues what quietly has been a very solid season, again led the edge defenders with 43 snaps, compared to 38 for Chop Robinson. Malik Herring was next with 14, while Rodney McGraw was limited to seven snaps in his first game since being signed to the active roster.
-- On the interior of the defensive line, it's worth noting that Kenneth Grant played only 22 snaps in his second game of the season, the lowest total in the position group. Zeek Biggers and Jordan Phillips were pretty even with 31 and 29 snaps, with Zach Sieler as expected leading the way with 49.
-- In his return from injured reserve, rookie safety Kyle Louis saw his only action on special teams, which pretty much was to be expected (and we predicted it Saturday).
-- Speaking of special teams, Traore again led the way with 19 snaps, followed by 15 for Louis, Jackson Woodard, Julius Wood and Shaka Heyward. With Gay out of action, Woodard also got 29 snaps on defense when the Dolphins had a three-linebacker alignment.
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