PFF grades Terrence Fede as top Dolphins player from Falcons game

The Miami Dolphins beat the Atlanta Falcons 23-20 last Thursday in a game that featured mostly the reserve and younger players for each team. It did not always spotlight the best football being played, but it did give the coaches and the fans a chance to see some of the players who could wind up holding down key roles for the team as the year progresses.

For the Dolphins, one of those players, and a player who probably needs to make an impact during the preseason to ensure he is on the 53-man roster when it is finalized in September, is defensive end Terrence Fede, who played 16 snaps on Thursday. He made those 16 snaps count, however, as he came away with Pro Football Focus’ highest grade for Miami, tallying an 85.5 overall grade.

PFF explained the grade, writing:

The former seventh-round draft pick played just 16 snaps but made his presence felt, generating a hit and a hurry on just six pass-rushes, for a pass rush productivity of 25.0. Fede also made two combined defensive stops, and finished the game with team-high overall grade of 85.5.

Fede finished the game with two tackles, one for a loss, and one quarterback hit. He also had a special teams tackle. It was the kind of performance Fede needed from this game, and should, if he continues to have success in this week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, set him up for a roster spot.

The rest of the top five Preseason Week 1 grades for the Dolphins from PFF are:

Offensive tackle Eric Smith (83.8)

Defensive tackle Nick Williams (82.8)

Defensive tackle Lawrence Okoye (82.7)

Linebacker Chase Allen (82.7)