Miami Dolphins Pleased With Preseason Ryan Tannehill

Carolina Panthers’ Kony Ealy (94) reaches in as Miami Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill (17) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Charlotte, N.C., Saturday, August 22, 2015. He beat the Panthers with short passes underneath the coverage to his backs. He said a lot will be determined by how they perform in the rest of the preseason, including Saturday night against Carolina. With the void left by Benjamin, do general manager Dave Gettleman and coach Ron Rivera keep an extra receiver on the 53-man roster or do they keep five receivers as they did to open the past two seasons?

“We talked about the opportunity it created”, Rivera said.

As for depth at running back, Damien Williams appears to be solidifying his role as the team’s No. 2 behind Lamar Miller.

Instead of the Dolphins taking a 20-0 lead – or having a second-and-goal at the Carolina 1 had Philbin not challenged – the Panthers got the ball at the 20 after the touchback.

“I just have to stay focused”, Alexander said. After Albert tore his ACL, the Dolphins dropped to 27 over the final eight weeks. Whatever your personal needs are for this game, we’ve got you covered (other than buying you a ticket, of course).

Jamar Taylor had a very nice interception during the first half, but he later injured his left quad. LT Jason Fox was evaluated for a concussion.

It didn’t look good when Panthers defensive end Frank Alexander hobbled off the field without putting weight on his right leg.

Panthers center Ryan Kalil also was injured, leaving with a left knee issue. Fourth-string quarterback Josh Freeman threw an ill-timed interception that nearly sealed the loss for Miami, although he did manage to throw a 56-yard touchdown reception to tight end Gerrell Robinson that almost brought the Dolphins back.

As for the defense: In four series, the starters recorded two three-and-outs, forced a turnover and had a jaw-dropping goal-line stand – turning away the Panthers four times from the inside the 3-yard line.

Dolphins: Walt Aikens and Michael Thomas are competing for the starting safety spot with Louis Delmas out for the season.

Despite the inconsistency and injuries, the Panthers are finding ways to win. The Dolphins lost game one.

The Panthers return to Bank of America Stadium for some preseason action against the Dolphins. He scored two TDs and almost had another but fumbled it into the end zone.

Miami and Carolina finish up a week of joint practices when they meet at XXX this weekend.