The Phinsider
The Miami Dolphins face the Chicago Bears on Sunday in the first week of the 2025 NFL Preseason. Miami enters this game with the expectation that the starters will see some playing time, but will quickly exit to allow the developmental players to get additional snaps. This week saw the Dolphins practice with the Bears on Friday, a workout that potentially exposed some flaws in Miami’s roster and led to on-field scuffles between the teams.
What should we watch for on Sunday? What could the Dolphins coaches expect to see against the Bears? Here are our what to watch for Miami in this afternoon’s game.
Miami’s cornerbacks will be the top focal point throughout the summer. The team likely still needs to make a move to add a veteran to the roster, especially as injuries have crushed the position group throughout the early training camp period. During Friday’s practice with the Bears, Miami’s cornerbacks struggled.
South Florida Sun Sentinel beat reporter David Furones wrote during the practice, “Bears receivers whipped Dolphins cornerbacks in 1-on-1s. Most of the incompletions were flags.” He added later, “After a rough early go for the secondary in 1-on-1s, defense been better in team periods,” but when the position group is already a concern, the early struggles are not reassuring for fans.
Miami listed Storm Duck and Kendall Sheffield as the starting outside cornerbacks, with Mike Hilton as the nickel corner. Behind them, Miami has Ethan Bonner, Jackson Jones, Cornell Armstrong, Jason Marshall, Jr., Cam Smith, Isaiah Johnson, BJ Adams, and Ethan Robinson.
Will any of them step up and make an impression on Sunday?
The Dolphins will be relying on rookies at several key positions this year. Sunday will be their first opportunity to get onto an NFL field in an actual game. While the contest may not count for stats or in the overall record for the season, Sunday’s game is a great opportunity for the rookies and the younger players to start to adapt to the speed of the NFL.
Miami’s rookies include first-round pick, defensive end Kenneth Grant; second-round pick, guard Jonah Savaiinaea; fifth-round picks, nose tackle Jordan Phillips, cornerback Jason Marshall, Jr., and safety Dante Trader, Jr.; sixth-round pick, running back Ollie Gordon II; and seventh-round picks, quarterback Quinn Ewers and defensive end Zeek Biggers. Undrafted rookies include cornerback BJ Adams, wide receiver Andrew Armstrong, linebacker Eugene Asante, wide receiver Monaray Baldwin, wide receiver AJ Henning, defensive tackle Alex Huntley, offensive lineman Josh Priebe, cornerback Ethan Robinson, safety John Saunders, Jr., wide receiver Theo Wease, Jr., and offensive lineman Addison West.
There are 19 players who could see the field for the first time in their career. Standing out in the game, especially for late-round picks or the undrafted rookies, is an easy way to move from potentially on the wrong side of the cut line to the roster bubble or even become a roster lock.
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