clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Dolphins stock watch following Denver loss

Who is trending up and who is trending down for the Miami Dolphins following their 39-36 loss to the Denver Broncos?

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Stock Up: Ryan Tannehill, quarterback - Is there any doubt about who had the best night against the Broncos? A 26-for-36 performance, with 228 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, and a 104.9 passer rating. He did have an interception, but it was clearly not his fault as the ball was batted into the air by Jarvis Landry, then picked. It seems the Dolphins' third-year quarterback has gotten better every week as of late, and that's a good thing.

Stock Down: Miami Dolphins defense - Something was very, very not right with the Miami defense on Sunday, and it led to a very bad day for everyone. Maybe it was Peyton Manning. Maybe it was the altitude. Maybe it was just one of those games where everything seems to go wrong. Whatever the case, the Dolphins needed one stand from the defense, and it just was not there. Pro Football Focus counted 14 missed tackles during the game, and it is a little surprising the number was that low. Manning is an elite quarterback, but when the offense puts up 36 points, a team that believes it has an elite defense should not be on the wrong side of the final score. For Miami, this week, they were.

Stock Up: Dion Sims, tight end - Asked to start in place of Charles Clay, Sims had a really good day, catching four passes on five targets for 31 yards. He was also a key part of the blocking scheme for Miami, playing 85-percent of the Miami offensive snaps.

Stock Down: Damien Williams, running back - Last week, there were some complaints about my inclusion of Williams on the stock down for only playing nine snaps. This week backs up that stock down rating. The Dolphins have completely turned away from Williams for some reason. Maybe it's the "rookie wall" or maybe they do not like the matchups they are getting with Williams right now. Whatever the case, Williams has completely disappeared from the offense.  Williams played the fewest snaps of any Miami offensive player, appearing in just three plays, with no carries, and one reception for negative one yards. In comparison, LaMichael James made his Dolphins debut, played four snaps and carried the ball twice for four yards - nothing spectacular, but you would have thought the Dolphins would play Williams more than James, right?

Stock Up: John Denney, long snapper - The long snapper is not a glamour position in football, and it is not one that gets a lot of credit. Fans often question why teams would use one of their 53 roster spots for a player whose only job is to snap the ball on punts or kicks. John Denney is the answer. Denney gets some extra love this week for his fumble recovery on a punt return.

Stock Down: Dallas Thomas, offensive tackle - Thomas has had two rough assignments to start his right tackle career in the NFL, and he has been beaten up because of it. Mario Williams started the abuse last week, and Von Miller continued it this week. The Dolphins want Thomas to be a guard, but have had to move him to right tackle after the injury to Branden Albert, and he will probably become a decent guard for the Dolphins down the road. He may even be a good reserve tackle, with the performances for his first two starts at the position, facing Williams and Miller, a footnote to his career, but he probably will at least face some competition for the starting position this week as Miami looks to continue to re-work their re-worked offensive line.