Why Dolphins’ Grier had a big night. And news and notes at each position

For a general manager who needed something good to happen, Monday provided it for the Dolphins’ Chris Grier — in more ways than one.

Even beyond watching his team secure a badly needed win to move to 3-6, Grier could rightfully cite several offseason additions as vital to Monday’s 23-15 triumph against the Rams.

Though the Dolphins failed to sufficiently address nose tackle and backup quarterback in the offseason, and likely should have done more at guard, Monday showcased the best of Grier’s 2024 work.

Calais Campbell was a menace, with a sack, a tackle for loss and two pass deflections, including one that led to an interception. Tight end Jonnu Smith had a key 33-yard catch-and-run. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. delivered a big, late 11-yard reception on a third down.

Jordyn Brooks continued a very solid year at linebacker with an 11-tackle night; Pro Football Focus rated him Miami’s second-best player on defense Monday, behind only Quinton Bell.

Though this wasn’t one of center Aaron Brewer’s best nights, he hasn’t still allowed a sack in 344 pass-blocking snaps this season (after permitting six for Tennessee last season) and PFF rates him the fourth-best center in football this season.

Linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. had an interception and was solid in his second game as a starter after supplanting David Long Jr. from the lineup.

Safety Jordan Poyer, who has had an uneven season, had a good night; PFF ranked him third among all Dolphins defenders on Monday. So that’s good nights from seven of Grier’s offseason veteran pickups.

And two members of the 2024 rookie class had good nights — first-round pick Chop Robinson, who had his second sack in two weeks, and sixth-round receiver Malik Washington, who had the game’s first touchdown on an 18-yard run and later added an important 17-yard reception on the Dolphins’ game-sealing drive.

It’s not a coincidence that Washington started on Monday and has been logging the most offensive snaps among the Dolphins’ backup receivers. On Monday, he played 18 offensive snaps, Beckham 17 and River Cracraft four in his first game back after a preseason shoulder injury.

More notes by position:

▪ Running back: Not only did Raheem Mostert not get a rushing attempt, but he played just eight snaps on offense, his lowest as a Dolphin (excluding games where he was injured). The Dolphins used him some on third downs, and he had two catches for 34 yards.

De’Von Achane played 37 of the Dolphins’ 53 offensive snaps but mustered just 37 yards on 12 carries (3.1 per attempt). Rookie Jaylen Wright played nine snaps and had just 3 yards on five carries.

▪ Tight end: Julian Hill didn’t block as well as usual; Pro Football Focus rated him Miami’s second-worst player on offense Monday (minimum 10 snaps), ahead of only right guard Liam Eichenberg.

But Hill still played the most of the tight ends — 29 snaps, compared with 25 for Durham Smythe and 23 for Smith.

▪ Quarterback: Tua Tagovailoa has a very good 106.2 passer rating in his first three games back from a concussion — 73 completions in 94 attempts for 672 yards, four TDs and an interception. As the Dolphins’ Travis Wingfield noted, the Dolphins have scored on 15 of 25 possessions (60 percent) since his return.

▪ Offensive line: This was one of the group’s worst performances of the season. Miami permitted 13 quarterback pressures and three sacks, though Tagovailoa should have thrown away the ball on two of them.

Robert Jones was responsible for one of the sacks (and three pressures) before leaving with a knee injury. His replacement at left guard, Lester Cotton, also gave up a sack, though PFF rated Cotton and left tackle Terron Armstead as Miami’s best offensive linemen Monday.

Jones played 29 snaps before his injury; Cotton played 24 snaps after replacing Jones. Kendall Lamm, who allowed three pressures, missed two snaps due to a minor injury before returning. Patrick Paul filled in at right tackle on those two plays.

▪ Defensive line: Zach Sieler played 57 of 70 defensive snaps after missing two games with a fractured orbital bone and set the tone on the first play by tackling a Rams receiver for a 10-yard loss. Da’Shawn Hand (who forced a fumble) played 38 snaps, Campbell 33, Benito Jones 20 and Neil Farrell 8.

▪ Edge players: PFF rated Bell as Miami’s best defender in his 13 snaps Monday. Robinson, who played 42 of 70 snaps, had six pressures and the sack. Emmanuel Ogbah played 50 snaps and didn’t have a quarterback pressure. Tyus Bowser, who started, had one pressure in his 25 snaps.

▪ Inside linebacker: Brooks and Walker played all 70 defensive snaps, with the Dolphins opting to limit Long only to special teams for a second week in a row.

Though Brooks allowed four completions, they went for only 11 yards.

All three passes against Walker were caught for 33 yards, but the Dolphins’ run defense hasn’t suffered in the move from Long to Walker.

▪ Safety: Holland (who played 69 snaps) and Poyer (who played all 70) permitted just 23 yards on three receptions in six combined targets against them.

▪ Cornerback: Jalen Ramsey continued his excellent season, allowing just 29 yards on eight targets and five completions.

In his first game back after missing two with a neck injury, Kader Kohou permitted six catches in eight targets for 56 yards. He missed one play after taking a hard hit on his knee.

With Kendall Fuller entering concussion protocol for the second time this season, the Dolphins will need to decide whether to stick with Cam Smith, who has struggled, or turn to Storm Duck or Ethan Bonner, if Fuller misses Sunday’s home game against Las Vegas.

Smith yielded four passes for 50 yards, on five targets, against the Rams. Siran Neal allowed a 21-yard completion on his only defensive snap.