PFF Rewards Cordrea Tankersley's Performance Despite Dolphins Defeat

In a game that featured three quarters of forgettable football for the Miami Dolphins, rookie cornerback Cordrea Tankersley was a bright spot. With Tony Lippett's injury hindering the depth of the secondary, the third-round pick out of Clemson showed that he is ready for significant playing time.

Tankersley recorded one interception, two tackles, and deflected another ball thrown his way on Thursday. His efforts culminated in a solid 87.0 grade from Pro Football Focus - placing him above the rest of his teammates.

Tankersley's grade from PFF also included this observation:

The rookie from Clemson was all over underneath stuff Thursday night. He picked off one of his three targets and dropped another.

Along with recognizing the play of the rookie defensive back, Jay Cutler's debut in a Dolphins uniform received some cautious praise from PFF. The 34-year-old quarterback finished outside of Miami's top performers, but still managed to record a grade of 71.3.

PFF had this to say about Cutler's outing against Baltimore:

While the Dolphins were unable to sustain drives early in the game with Jay Cutler under center, his statline should have been better. Two of his three incompletions (on six official attempts) were a throw-away and a drop, and a 31-yard gain on a sideline comeback route was nullified due to a penalty. Expect to see a significant uptick in reps for him next week.

Cutler will look to improve his grade with increased playing time when the Dolphins travel to Philadelphia to play the Eagles next week.

Due to the Dolphins' inconsistent offense, PFF's favorable Preseason Week 2 grades were disproportionately made up of defenders. The top five grades for Miami went to the following players:

Cornerback Codrea Tankersley (87.0)

Defensive Tackle Jordan Phillips (81.9)

Linebacker Mike Hull (79.1)

Safety A.J. Hendy (79.0)

Defensive End Praise Martin-Oguike (78.6)

You can catch all of the available grades from Thursday night's game by visiting Pro Football Focus.