On Saturday afternoon, the Miami Dolphins lost 26-3 against the New York Giants in the team’s second preseason game.
For the second consecutive game, Miami’s depth appeared overmatched as they failed to get anything going against New York’s reserves.
While the majority of the starters did not appear in the loss against the Giants, some of the players who are currently competing for starting jobs or spots on the 53-man roster did participate. And unfortunately for one of those players, his performance resulted in him being called a “loser.”
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Called a “Loser”
After Saturday’s loss, Dolphins on SI’s Jake Gibson named the biggest winners and losers from the game. Among the losers was veteran wide receiver Tutu Atwell.
Gibson wrote of Atwell: “It almost seems unfair to note either quarterback as one of the biggest losers of this game because of weapons like Tutu Atwell struggling from the jump. This has been a brutal summer for Atwell, who ended the day with no yards on no receptions — straight cardio.
The story of the night for Atwell was his inability to reel in targets. He had two drops against the Giants — one was contested, while the other was a straight miss on third down, which would have been helpful considering Bradley Pinion had to punt from inside the end zone to close out that drive.
Miami almost needs to be grateful for what they’ve gotten out of the rookie receivers so far in the preseason, because a lot of the veteran pass-catchers they’ve brought in haven’t lived up to expectations. Atwell is, unfortunately, high on that list.”
As Gibson referenced, the Dolphins have plenty of veteran pass-catchers. Aside from Malik Washington, who’s a third-year player drafted by Miami, the rest were free agent additions this year. For Miami, it’s a disappointment that out of the group of Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, Jalen Reagor and Terrace Marshall Jr., no one has appeared to step up.
Tutu Atwell’s Training Camp
Atwell and Tolbert were likely the favorites to carve out a role on this team. They were both signed when free agency started and were among the few players to receive over $1 million guaranteed on their one-year contracts.
Atwell was only one year removed from signing a $10 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams after his productive 2024 season. He has totaled over $15 million in career earnings, but his Dolphins career appears in jeopardy despite the guaranteed money.
Previously, the Miami Herald’s Omar Kelly listed Atwell as one of the team’s biggest disappointments, as he said during The Dolphins Collective, “I’ve been saying this from OTAs. The athleticism, the speed, there should be way more productivity than what I’m seeing, which is no productivity. He’s had one good day in six practices. You’re the most experienced receiver, you’re clearly the fastest receiver, you’re probably the most talented receiver, you’re probably the most accomplished receiver, why are you invisible?
I would call plays for him like he is Tyreek Hill, see what he has and if he doesn’t have anything, I’m moving on. I’m ready to eat my $1 million dollars.”
Dolphins $15 Million Talent Called a ‘Loser’ After Giants Preseason Game