One of last year’s most criticized players headlines 6 winners from the Miami Dolphins’ preseason loss to the Washington Commanders
The Miami Dolphins fell to the Washington Commanders 20-7 in their 2026 preseason debut. But these six players stood out for all the right reasons.
The Miami Dolphins‘ didn’t win the preseason contest against the Washington Commanders on Friday night.
But amid the individual performances on the night, there are several prominent winners. One of the big headliners? That would be second-year guard Jonah Savaiinaea, who was one of the most maligned players on last year’s roster. Here are a six pack of standout winners from Miami’s preseason Week 1 contest against Washington.
Six winners from the Miami Dolphins’ 20-7 preseason loss to the Washington Commanders
OG Jonah Savaiinaea
Big Jonah played in the first two possessions for the Miami Dolphins, posting 22 snaps on the day. He was physical and active in pass protection, both on the Dolphins’ play action game and in pass sets. Savaiinaea put several Commanders defenders on the ground, showcased good aggressiveness, and much better functional balance that he did at times playing left guard in 2025. A great preseason debut in the books.
TE Will Kacmarek (R)
If you want to know where the running lanes were early for Miami, they often fell in line behind rookie tight end Will Kacmarek. The Ohio State product, a third-round draft choice, mauled several edges and showcased displacement ability at the point of attack. At one point, he solo’d DT Shy Tuttle in line for a win at the point of attack. Kacmark logged 19 offense snaps on the night.
CB Ethan Bonner
The performance of Ethan Bonner was sturdy in and of itself after watching the tape. He was targeted three times on the night and logged a pass defensed. With JuJu Brents currently missing time, and fellow corners such as Marco Wilson offering some late fits in the run game to help spur a big play, Bonner’s performance was most stable among the projected non-starters in my eyes.
LB Trey Moore (R)
Trey Moore played 48 defensive snaps on Friday night — that’s 12 more than the next highest defender on the roster. The Dolphins feel like they’re fast-tracking his work as an off-ball defender. That goes in tandem with his listing as a first-stringer at SAM linebacker in the first unofficial depth chart of the season. The Dolphins sure seem to see something big in Moore and the excess playing time feels like an effort to push his development as the season creeps closer.
SAF Dante Trader Jr.*
There’s fine print here, of course. Trader Jr. didn’t play last night. But the players who played in his place? They had some apparent miscues. Lonnie Johnson Jr. missed a tackle on a long touchdown run along the sideline. Fifth-round rookie safety Michael Taaffe got caught jumping inside on a corner route by Dyami Brown, which led to an early 22-yard completion in coverage. Trader Jr. feels like his hold on a starting spot is more secure than ever without even suiting up.
OL Caedan Wallace
The Miami Dolphins’ newest offensive lineman played 17 snaps late in the game and looked to be on a different tier than the other players on the field. That’s great news for Wallace, who Miami is tabbing to potentially offer some vital offensive line depth.
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