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After falling to a 30-20 defeat this past Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, let’s take a look at just how well the Miami Dolphins rookies played in their first game against an in-state rival.
Cordrea Tankersley — Cornerback
Week 11 Stats: 64 defensive snaps (97.0%), Six tackles, Two Pass Deflections
Recording another solid game, Cordrea Tankersley was taken advantage of a few times by the Bucs offense, but it remains par for the course for the rookie. With six tackles and two pass deflections though, it is clear that Tankersley is growing by the week and should be a fixture of this Dolphins defense for years to come.
Charles Harris — Defensive End
Week 11 Stats: 26 defensive snaps (39.4%), One tackle, One QB Hit
Another week, another passing game for Charles Harris. While he was indeed a project player and someone drafted to be the future of this defensive line, he is off to a slow start. That said, with this season likely over, look for Harris to get an extended run of snaps over the next few weeks as Miami attempts to figure out who this team is going forward.
Davon Godchaux — Defensive Tackle
Week 11 Stats: 35 defensive snaps (53.0%), Five tackles, One Tackle for Loss
Turning in another good performance this week, Davon Godchaux has clearly taken control of the reigns at the second defensive tackle spot. Recording five tackles and a tackle for loss, Godchaux is the future at this position and should see a few more snaps the rest of this season as Miami likely tries out it’s youth players.
Chase Allen — Linebacker
Week 11 Stats: 30 defensive snaps (45.5%), 26 special team snaps
Despite not recording any tackles, the fact that Chase Allen saw an extended run on defense is promising. With Rey Maualuga now released, Allen should hopefully see even more defensive snaps in the weeks to come as he attempts to prove himself as a potential starter for next season.
Matt Haack — Punter
Week 11 Stats: Two punts, 106 total yards, 53 yards average
Well, despite only recording two punts in this contest, Matt Haack had himself a solid game punting the football. That said, the stats may be a bit deceiving as Haack’s two punts went for 42 yards and 64 yards respectively. Going forward, hopefully we see yardage closer to that 64 yarder and not the 42 one.
Vincent Taylor — Defensive Tackle
Week 11 Stats: Seven defensive snaps (10.6%), 12 special teams snaps
Seeing the field as more of a reserve role this game, Vincent Taylor is likely to be the backup for Ndamukong Suh for the remainder of this season. However, if things truly get out of hand, Taylor may in fact see a good chunk of snaps later on in the campaign.
Maurice Smith — Safety
Week 11 Stats: 19 special teams snaps
Moving back to his normal role as a special teams player, Maurice Smith is someone that needs the season to get out of hand if he wants to see true defensive snaps. While for us, this would not be a great thing, for him, such a course of action could prove to elevate his status going into 2018.
Week 11 Rookie Scratches: Isaac Asiata (G), Torry McTyer (CB)
Dolphins Rookies on Injured Reserve: Raekwon McMillan (LB), Eric Smith (OT), Isaiah Ford (WR)