The Miami Dolphins training camp is underway, and the team starts its 2023 NFL preseason on Friday, August 11, against the Atlanta Falcons. As players fight and claw for Dolphins' roster spots and starting positions, some players are rising to the top while others are struggling. Here are the four key players struggling early in Miami during NFL training camp.

RB Jeff Wilson Jr.

Mike McDaniel brought Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. with him to the Dolphins from the San Francisco 49ers. However, the Miami backfield is starting to get crowded and could become even more so. Wilson could be the odd man out if he doesn’t pick it up.

Reports from Dolphins training camp are that Wilson has been a little banged up, and when he is on the field, there have been some errors, especially with dropped passes. Wilson has shown some good hands and pop, too, but that may not be enough.

Aside from Mostert, Dolphins rookie RB De’Von Archane — the team’s third-round pick out of Texas A&M — has been excellent in practice, showing off his track star speed and soft hands. Even undrafted rookie Chris Brooks out of BYU has had his moments, breaking a 95-yard touchdown run in 11-v-11 drills.

There is also a chance that Wilson could tumble even further down the depth chart or even off the Dolphins' roster if he doesn’t pick it up. Rumors are that Miami is one of the favorites to sign free agent RB Dalvin Cook.

If this happens, Wilson’s spot on the team could be in jeopardy.

CB Noah Igbinoghene

The Dolphins cornerback rotation is up in the air after the Jalen Ramey injury. Several players now have a chance to get increased playing time alongside Xavien Howard and slot corner Kader Kohou.

Noah Igbinoghene was a first-round pick in 2020, but after a promising rookie year, he’s only played in 16 games the last two seasons and has five career starts.

Igbinoghene has intercepted Tua Tagovailoa in Dolphins training camp, but he’s also been burned by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at times. More concerning, though, is that even Robbie Chose roasted the fourth-year corner in practice.

While Igbinoghene struggles, rookie Cam Smith has looked good. It’s a long NFL preseason for rookies, so we’ll see if Smith can keep it up. But if he does, that could spell trouble for Igbinoghene. As could Eli Apple, who is having some of the same issues, but has only been on the team for about a week.

LB David Long Jr.

Linebacker David Long Jr. was an offseason free-agent acquisition from the Tennessee Titans. Long has never played more than 14 games in a season, and Titans coach Mike Vrabel has suggested not training hard enough is the reason why.

Still, when Long is dialed in, he is a talented sideline-to-sideline inside linebacker. Some days at Dolphins training camp, he looks like a star. However, what the coaches are looking for is consistency, and they are still not getting it.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Friday, “He’s had ups and downs” this NFL preseason.

“You can’t just have flash plays,” Fangio told reporters. “You gotta have good plays all the time.”

Right now, Long still looks like he will be the starter. That said, 2022 third-round pick Channing Tindall out of Georgia is a talented player and could beat Long out if the veteran doesn’t show Fangio and company the consistency they want in a linebacker.

QB Tua Tagovailoa

This last one is a little nitpicky, but the Dolphins need an A+ season from Tua Tagovailoa this season to compete in the brutally tough AFC and AFC East.

From a performance standpoint, Tua has looked excellent in camp so far. His chemistry with Hill and Waddle looks great, and he’s making all the throws he needs to make. The QB is also showing good decision-making, and he looks fit and healthy which, of course, is the most important thing.

However, the biggest issue in the Dolphins' NFL training camp the last few days is the sloppy offense. The team brought officials in to practice late in the week, and the flags were flying on the Dolphins O.

False starts, formation, and holding penalties abound, and the fourth-most penalized team in the NFL last season looks like it still has problems in that area during the 2023 NFL preseason.

And since this problem isn’t on any one player, it falls on the quarterback to get his unit in check. Yes, this is casting blame and putting a lot on the QB, but that’s what happens in the modern NFL.

Tagovailoa isn’t a fiery, vocal leader or a QB who is so good and precise that everyone else must fall in line. Still, he needs to find a way to get his offensive teammates in check and hold them accountable, or those flags will make for a long season.