Preseason Week Four Preview: Dolphins at Saints

The Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints will finish the preseason at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Thursday.

The final game of the preseason is usually used as an extra rest day for the starters. That tradition may continue in this game, at least for the most part. The Dolphins have not announced a starting quarterback for the regular season, and the competition could be decided by this contest.

The Dolphins will need to reduce their roster to 53 men by Saturday afternoon. Even though the result of this game means nothing, the performance of several players could mean plenty. Head coach Brian Flores and his coaching staff will have several decisions to make over the next couple of days.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is not expected to play in this game due to an illness. The veteran quarterback began the preseason as the top QB on the depth chart, but he has not won the job as of yet. Fitzpatrick's preseason has been less than stellar, though his competition has not fared much better.

Josh Rosen will likely start the preseason finale, as he continues to try and overtake Fitzpatrick for the job as starting quarterback. Rosen may see a decent amount of playing time, in his final chance to make an impression in the preseason. With Fitzpatrick sidelined, Rosen could potentially win the job with a big game against New Orleans.

Jake Rudock will probably get the most minutes behind center for Miami in this game. Rudock is trying to make the team as a backup quarterback. The Dolphins may decide to go with only two quarterbacks on the roster, but a solid day from Rudock could change that. Rudock did not play in last week's game, as Fitzpatrick and Rosen split the playing time.

Preston Williams began the preseason with an eye-opening performance, but he has been quiet since then. Williams is looking to not only win a roster spot, but also earn a fair share of playing time in the regular season. Williams went undrafted and faced an uphill battle to make the team at the start of the preseason. The 22-year old should see plenty of playing time against the Saints and could be Miami's main target on offense in this game.