LAS VEGAS — The Miami Dolphins dropped their season opener 27-13 to the Raiders, but a historically young roster delivered debut performances that rewrote franchise record books in the first NFL head coaching game for Jeff Hafley.
Inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez piled up 14 combined tackles — third-most in the NFL in Week 1 — the most by a Dolphins rookie since Zach Thomas posted 16 tackles against Arizona on Sept. 8, 1996. Cornerback Chris Johnson added 11 combined tackles, tied for ninth in the league, along with two passes defensed, tied for third. Rodriguez and Johnson became the first pair of rookies to record 10-plus tackles in their NFL debuts since tackles became an official stat in 1994.
Rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas delivered arguably the most impressive individual performance. His 94 receiving yards tied Tyreek Hill’s 2022 mark for the most by a wide receiver in a Dolphins debut. Douglas’s five receptions and 35 yards after the catch both ranked first among all rookies leaguewide in Week 1.
Miami started seven rookies and three second-year players, and those first- and second-year players tallied 610 total snaps. The youth movement produced a pair of interceptions off Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, who tried seven passes of 10-plus air yards and completed just one for 21 yards. Rookie Michael Taaffe stepped in front of a Cousins throw in the third quarter — becoming the ninth Dolphin to record an interception in his NFL debut and the first since Travis Daniels against Denver on Sept. 11, 2005. Four plays later, quarterback Malik Willis scored on a 15-yard scramble to pull Miami within a score. Safety Dante Trader added his first career interception by reading Cousins’s eyes and undercutting a throw down the middle.
Jaylen Wright provided a special-teams spark with a 79-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, the longest by a Dolphin since Jakeem Grant’s 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Buffalo on Nov. 17, 2019.
The defense stiffened after halftime, making four consecutive stops during which the Raiders gained just nine yards on 14 plays. Raiders running backs Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington combined for 76 rushing yards on 11 attempts in the first half but were held to 130 total yards on 30 carries for the game, averaging 3.5 yards per attempt.
The Dolphins return to South Florida for their home opener at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 2, where Hafley’s young roster will look to convert its promising debut numbers into a first win.