Jaylen Wright was the lightning in an otherwise stagnant storm, showing off electric playmaking ability in his NFL debut to help the Miami Dolphins beat the Atlanta Falcons on Friday in their preseason opener.
Wright drew oohs and aahs from the Hard Rock Stadium crowd, with eyes glued to his No. 25 jersey as he outran and juked defenders whenever he touched the ball in the 20-13 victory.
The fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft totaled 10 carries for 55 yards and a score.
“Of course there were a little butterflies in my first NFL game, but I’m just blessed,” Wright said.
Wright, who scored on a 6-yard run in the second quarter, provided one of his best plays about five minutes into the second half.
Dolphins backup quarterback Mike White first took the snap, turned right and fired a pass to Wright in the backfield. Wright initially bobbled the ball before taking a few steps backwards and securing the catch.
He first went right, but then changed direction, forcing several defenders to trip and breaking to the other side of the field for a 14-yard gain.
“It was a good first outing for him because he got a little bit of everything and he finished strong,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said of Wright.
Kicker Jason Sanders made a 46-yard field goal four plays after Wright’s big play for a 20-13 Dolphins lead.
The Dolphins kicker made 2 of 3 attempts in the victory. White completed just of 4 of 14 throws for 26 yards. Fellow backup quarterback Skylar Thompson completed 8 of 19 passes for 95 yards, one score and an interception.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, also made his debut Friday in Miami Gardens, Fla. He completed 9 of 16 passes for 104 yards.
Sanders put the first points on the board in the preseason matchup, splitting the uprights with a 58-yard field goal 6:38 into the game.
The Falcons rallied quickly, with kicker Younghoe Koo hitting a game-tying 39-yard attempt on the next drive. Cornerback Kevin King then intercepted Thompson on the first play of the next possession.
The Falcons proceeded to put together a 6-play scoring drive, ending with a one-yard run from running back Carlos Washington Jr. for a 10-3 advantage.
Thompson replied with a 6-yard touchdown toss to running back Jeff Wilson Jr. three seconds into the second quarter, helping the Dolphins tie the score.
The Dolphins went ahead on Wright’s touchdown 5:45 before halftime. That score was triggered after Falcons fumbled a snap at their own 10-yard line. Wright ran for his 6-yard score on the next play.
The Dolphins carried the seven-point edge into halftime.
Koo made a 53-yard field goal for the Falcons about three minutes into the second half, cutting the deficit to four. Sanders responded with a 46-yard field goal about four minutes later.
The Dolphins let the Falcons back in the game when they muffed a punt return with 8:46 remaining. But the Falcons failed to punch the ball in from the 2-yard line on that possession.
They went on to get the ball to the Dolphins’ 6-yard line on their final possession, which ended with an incompletion.
The Dolphins will host the Washington Commanders in their second preseason game at 7 p.m. EDT Aug. 17 at Hard Rock Stadium. The Falcons will battle the Baltimore Ravens at noon Aug. 17 in Baltimore.
