The Miami Dolphins will play their second preseason game Saturday afternoon against the New York Giants.

On Thursday, the Dolphins hosted a joint practice with the Giants, and there were several skirmishes throughout the morning.

That likely won’t carry over into Saturday’s game. But Miami is hoping for a much better outcome after getting pushed around by the Giants during the joint practice.

Before the Dolphins’ second preseason contest, here are three things to watch.

Will the Dolphins’ offensive line show progress?

Quarterback Malik Willis was harassed throughout the joint practice with the Giants. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Willis would have been sacked seven times on 20 pass attempts.

Willis apparently didn’t have much time in the pocket or many opportunities to create plays with his legs because the Giants’ pass rush was consistently bearing down on him. That is not ideal considering the Dolphins’ Week 1 opponent.

Miami will host the Las Vegas Raiders to begin the season. Although the Raiders, much like the Dolphins, are rebuilding, they still have Maxx Crosby, one of the NFL’s best edge rushers.

The Dolphins have two building blocks on their offensive line in left tackle Patrick Paul and center Aaron Brewer. However, Kadyn Proctor, Jonah Savaiinaea and Austin Jackson remain question marks at left guard, right guard and right tackle, respectively. With three weeks remaining before the season opener, Miami needs a better performance from its offensive line.

Can the secondary rebound from a rough joint practice?

In addition to their issues protecting Willis, the Dolphins’ secondary was carved up during Thursday’s practice. Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart completed 16 of 22 passes, with six going to tight end Isaiah Likely, according to ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan.

The secondary is one of the Dolphins’ biggest concerns entering the 2026 season, and its performance during the joint practice did nothing to ease those worries. First-round pick Chris Johnson provides some optimism because he is projected to be one of the starters.

However, the depth behind him remains an issue. Storm Duck, Jason Marshall Jr., Darrell Baker Jr., JuJu Brents, and Marco Wilson are either unproven or have injury concerns.

Who will stand out in the backup quarterback competition?

While Willis looked sharp in last week’s preseason opener against the Washington Commanders, his backups did not. Quinn Ewers had a rough outing, completing 1 of 8 passes for 27 yards with an interception. He finished with a 1.6 passer rating and suffered a groin injury that will keep him out this week.

Cam Miller wasn’t any better, completing just 3 of 11 passes for 39 yards with two interceptions. With Ewers out, the Dolphins re-signed undrafted free agent Mark Gronowski just nine days after releasing him.

If no one separates himself in the competition to become the Dolphins’ backup quarterback, Miami may need to explore the waiver wire after final cuts on Aug. 30.