Miami Dolphins stock up, stock down: Reactions to Week 1 win over Jaguars

The Miami Dolphins beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon. Who saw their stock rise or fall during the game?

The Miami Dolphins beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 to start the 2024 NFL regular season 1-0. The game was a roller coaster of a contest, with the Dolphins starting slowly before finding their rhythm in the second half and making a furious comeback before kicker Jason Sanders connected on a walk-off field goal for the win.

Who saw their stock rise during the game? Who had some struggles that hurt their stock rating? We take an early look at the game and react to the performances from throughout the contest.

Stock Up

Jevon Holland, safety – Holland, according to Pro Football Focus, is one of the top safeties in the league, but the knock against him is the lack of game-changing plays. He took care of that argument on Sunday, coming away with the key forced fumble to end what looked like a sure touchdown drive from the Jaguars. He had a great pass breakup as well during the game and he finished with three tackles.

Tyreek Hill, wide receiver – What a wild day for Hill. From being detained by police just before the game a block from the stadium to dominating the second half of the game and finishing with a game-high in receptions and receiving yards. He was tied with running back De’Von Achane with seven catches, picking up 130 yards on those catches including an 8-yard touchdown. Hill was ranked as the top player in the league according to the NFL Top 100 Players list, so it is hard to say his stock can go up, but then he has days like he had on Sunday and he continues to impress every single week.

Jake Bailey, punter – Last year, Bailey was a concern, never seeming to connect solidly with the ball and struggling to flip the field. On Sunday, that was never a concern. He averaged 49.5 yards per kick on four punts, including a 57 yard kick, with three inside the 20-yard line. One of those punts kicked out of bounds at the four-yard line, one was fair caught at the 12, and one went out of bounds at the three-yard line. The only kick that did not get inside the 20 went to the Jacksonville 34-yard line but was a 51-yard kick.

NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolphins

Calais Campbell, defensive tackle – How do you make an impact for your new team? Have the start to a game Campbell had on Sunday. On his first play as a member of the Dolphins, Campbell sacked Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. On his second play, he stuffed Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne for a one-yard loss. He was absolutely a force in the middle of the line of scrimmage throughout the game and forced the Jaguars to double team him much of the time. He finished with three tackles and the sack.

Emmanuel Ogbah, defensive end – Remember when Ogbah was a liability on defense throughout the 2023 season? Me neither. Ogbah looked like the player who tallied nine sacks in each of the 2020 and 2021 seasons for the Dolphins. He was active, he was able to create pressure, and he looked like he will be able to hold down the starting edge rusher position opposite linebacker Jalean Phillips until Bradley Chubb is ready to return. Ogbah is listed as a linebacker on the roster, but he played with his hand in the dirt more like a 4-3 defensive end and he found success doing it.

Alec Ingold, fullback – Who knew that a Pro Bowl fullback would be capable of picking up short yardage for his team? Ingold had two carries – three if not for a false start penalty that ended the play – and he picked up short first down on each of them. He finished the game with eight rushing yards. And all of that is not to mention serving as a lead blocker throughout the game, especially down the stretch when the Dolphins needed to eat the clock before the game-winning field goal.

Aaron Brewer, center – This is not because Brewer did anything great, but because he never seemed to be an issue. Snapping was a concern throughout the summer, but Brewer, who has been dealing with a hand injury, played through any problems and never seemed to have an issue with the snap. The offensive line was not a strong point for Miami this week, but Brewer at least was not a liability snapping the ball.

Jason Sanders, kicker – Sanders almost did not make the list after his first field goal was badly wide left on a 42-yard attempt. But, he came back and connected nine minutes later on a 37-yard attempt then kicked a 52-yarder for the win with no time left on the clock. He was 2-for-2 on extra points. The game-winning kick was enough to raise his stock back up, even after the early miss.

Stock Down

Ethan Bonner, cornerback – During training camp, we all heard how Bonner was making plays all over the place and looked like one of the team’s top cornerback options. He was a healthy scratch as an inactive in Week 1, with undrafted rookie Storm Duck active over him. The coaching staff had to make a decision somewhere, but landing on inactive after all the talk during camp and the preseason is a clear sign Bonner’s stock fell this week.

Kader Kohou, cornerback – Kohou seemed to struggle during this game. He had four tackles, but it was not the performance from the 2022 undrafted rookie who seemed to be a surprise star for the Dolphins defense. The play where Jaguars wide receiver Gabe Davis caught a pass for 22 yards on a comeback route with Kohou just standing there watching just left a bad taste. Kohou was the player who recovered the fumble forced by Holland to give Miami the spark that led to the comeback, so that was a positive in a rough day.

Robert Jones, guard – The offensive line did not have a great day overall, but Jones gets singled out here because he had multiple penalties called upon him during the game. An offensive holding penalty backed Miami up in the first quarter, leading to a punt. He was again called for holding in the third quarter, and again, Miami punted a few plays later. Just not a great first week for Jones at left guard.

Durham Smythe, tight end – Smythe retained his role as the team’s starter at tight end, but he had a rough day. He was targeted three times, with all three falling incomplete. One of those should probably have been called for defensive pass interference, but the other two were straight drops from the usually sure-handed Smythe. He will bounce back, but it was not a good start to the 2024 season.

Braxton Berrios, wide receiver – Similar to Smythe, Berrios also had an off day. He was targeted twice with no receptions. He also returned two punts for two yards. Berrios needs to be a possession type of receiver for the Dolphins, being the sure-handed option in the middle of the field while Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are pushing deep, looking to make big plays. He was not that on Sunday and could quickly find himself out of a role on offense, especially if running back De’Von Achane or tight end Jonnu Smith take over the possession type of role.