We'll start with the list of inactives, which was highlighted by wide receiver Jalen Tolbert going back to the sidelines and running back Jaylen Wright missing the game with a quad injury.

The only Dolphins player who was active but did not play was backup quarterback Kyle McCord.

Since we've been keeping track every game, the starting lineup was back to seven rookies with fourth-round pick Kyle Louis making his first NFL start. The other six starters were Kadyn Proctor back in action at left guard, Will Kacmarek at tight end, wide receiver Caleb Douglas, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Michael Taaffe.

DOLPHINS OFFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- After Caleb Douglas has the biggest snap count among the wide receivers against New England, this time it was Malik Washington back to having that top spot, though by a small margin (44 to 42).

-- What's notable at wide receiver is Chris Bell having 36 snaps to only 11 for Kevin Coleman Jr., who again was more noticeable with Bell targeted only once for an incompletion where he failed to create separation.

-- Tight end Will Kacmarek, who left the game temporarily after taking a big shot to the side of the knee, played only 20 offensive snaps for a second consecutive game. While there was a contributing factor in this game, we'd still like to see him more after the Dolphins spent a third-round pick on him.

-- We again have a hard time getting Kacmarek being outsnapped by rookie free agent fullback DJ Herman, particularly on a day when the running game didn't have much operating room.

-- As should have been expected, it again was the Ollie Gordon II show at running back, though his snap percentage (72 percent) was smaller than it was against New England. Backups Kaytron Allen (6) and Carlos Washington Jr. (5) combined for 11 snaps.

-- Recent waiver wire pick-up Jared Wayne, who was in the lineup instead of Tolbert, played six offensive snaps and was flagged for two penalties — not exactly a good percentage there.

DOLPHINS DEFENSE OBSERVATIONS

-- Five players were on the field for all the team's 59 defensive snaps — LB Jordyn Brooks, LB Jacob Rodriguez, S Michael Taaffe, CB Chris Johnson and S Dante Trader. The first four also had 100 percent participation each of the previous two games.

-- Chop Robinson's recent surge was reflected in the face that he got the most snaps on the edge, which hasn't happened this year because that distinction usually goes to Josh Uche. It was Robinson with 39 snaps and Uche to 35, then a major drop for any other edge defender with Rodney McGraw next with 12.

-- While Louis got the start, it should be noted he played only 11 snaps on defense, so categorizing as a starter now would be a stretch.

-- What stood out on the defensive line was the very similar number of snaps between Zach Sieler (42), Zeek Biggers (39) and Jordan Phillips (38), where Sieler usually played far more than his teammates. Given the performance of the defense, this can only be viewed as a positive development.

-- It's not exactly a great sign, however, that 2025 first-round pick Kenneth Grant played only 21 snaps in his fourth game back. This actually was his lowest total since he played 16 snaps against the Bengals in Week 5 in his first game of the season. The Dolphins need more from Grant, period.

-- Another interesting development came at cornerback where JuJu Brents and Jason Marshall Jr. got basically the same work load after Brents had emerged clearly ahead in recent games.

-- Edge Jamree Kromah, who the Dolphins claimed off waivers from the Chicago Bears two weeks ago, made his Miami debut and it consisted of two snaps on defense and four on special teams.

-- Opening-day starter Zayne Anderson was among the seven non-specialists who saw action only on special teams, along with LB Shaka Heyward, LB Jackson Woodard, S Julius Wood, C Andrew Meyer, G Jarrett Kingston and G/T Caedan Wallace.

-- Finally with special teams, rookie Seydou Traore again led the way with 20 snaps, though this time he was tied with Woodard. They were followed with 15 for Louis, Wood and Heyward.