Preseason Week One Preview: Dolphins at Giants

The Miami Dolphins will kick off their preseason schedule on Friday evening against the New York Giants.

In the first of their four exhibition games, the Dolphins will be on the road. Miami will also travel in its second week and will not play at its own stadium until the final preseason game. In the third week, Miami will host the Atlanta Falcons in Orlando. The travel schedule was designed to accommodate the completion of renovations in Miami's home stadium.

As is the case every year, the first preseason game will feature a heavy workload for the reserve players. Miami's first unit should see some action, but not much overall. Not only is this done to prevent injury, but it also gives the coaching staff extra chances to see players who are trying to win roles on the team.

Miami will not have Arian Foster on the field for this game and will instead give some work to Jay Ajayi. Foster is being worked back into the flow of things after an injury shortened his 2015 season. Thus far, Miami has not named a starting running back for the season. Both Foster and Ajayi will likely be given ample chances to win the job during the preseason.

Ryan Tannehill is expected to see some snaps behind center in the first half, before heading to the sidelines for the duration of the game. Tannehill is looking to not only find a rhythm with his offense, but also is learning under a new offensive coordinator in Clyde Christensen and head coach in Adam Gase. The actual plays during the games will be called by Gase.

Beyond the offense, there are some chances for defensive and special teams players to step up and get noticed. The big name players such as Ndamukong Suh will see litle action, but those hopeful to provide depth will be given lots of field time. Showing intensity and production with the opportunity being given could be the difference between a roster spot and a pink slip. One such player to watch closely should be veteran Spencer Paysinger.

The Dolphins and Giants last matched up in a Monday Night Football game during the 2015 season. In that contest, New York came away with a hard fought 31-24 victory over Miami.