The search for the 2.5-carat diamond earring lost by Miami's Kendall Langford came up empty. "I never found it," Langford said following the Dolphins' 27-25 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday night. Langford, a defensive end, said he forgot to take his earrings off before practice and lost one during drills Tuesday.

ARLINGTON, Texas – David Buehler was going to be on the Dallas Cowboys this season, even if it was only to keep whacking kickoffs deep into the end zone.

David Buehler was going to be on the Dallas Cowboys this season, even if it was only to keep whacking kickoffs deep into the end zone. Now the Cowboys feel good about him kicking field goals, too. After not getting a chance for two weeks, Buehler made kicks from 51, 45 and 40 yards — all with plenty of room to spare — then nailed a 31-yarder as time expired to lift the Cowboys past the Miami…

When the Miami Dolphins’ first team offense took the field against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night they faced a no-win situation.

If they moved the ball and scored they would be doing exactly what they were supposed to against the Cowboys’ second team. Dallas coach Wade Phillips followed the lead of most of the league by sitting his starters while Tony Sparano, clearly irritated by the entire team’s performance last Friday against the Atlanta Falcons, decided to play his starters.

Still, moving the ball and scoring was a preferred option to the alternative of struggling which would suggest the offense is clearly not ready for the regular season opener.

Guess what?

Miami doesn’t look ready for the opener.

They did move the ball on occasion, and kicked a field goal on their opening drive, but pass drops and questionable protection left the Dolphins with more questions than answers.

Here’s a closer look at the ups and downs of the offense.

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It always becomes a numbers game. Only 53 players can be on an NFL roster. Most teams only keep three quarterbacks, and if that’s the case in Miami, Pat White will be the odd man out.

White as an NFL quarterback was always an experiment. As a second-round pick out of West Virginia, the sub six-foot passer was supposed to create another wrinkle in the Dolphins’ Wildcat formation. That moment never came to pass.

He’s just not an NFL quarterback right now.

Sure he has some nice tools. His mobility is his biggest strength. He transformed his body in the offseason and put on close to twenty pounds.

However, he is still lacking in several critical areas. First, he’s tiny at barely 5’11″ while playing a position mostly made up of players around the 6’3″, 6’4″ mark. Second, he lacks arm strength and accuracy. To finish it off, he often doesn’t get rid of the ball on time.

So, essentially, he’s a guy with quick feet playing quarterback.

Even Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown is a better passer at this point. Last year White was 0-for-5 on the year while Brown was 2-for-6 with a touchdown.

He actually looked decent in the preseason game against Atlanta last week, completing all four of his passes, but his window to impress is nearly sealed shut.

I’m not saying he can’t ever become a valuable player in the NFL, but it won’t be in Miami. He has a lot of work to do to become a legitimate passer in this league. If not at quarterback, he has the athleticism to switch to receiver, and I’m sure plenty of teams would give him a shot next summer.

It’s tough to cut a second-round pick after just one year, but at this point, they need to move on. Even if they did keep him, would  he even see the field this year? If that answer is no, then the decision is simple.

White is the biggest blemish on the superb overall resume of “The Big Tuna” Bill Parcells.

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You’ll hear it soon enough.

A coach, a general manager, or the media will tell you how difficult it was to get down to a 53-player roster. That the decision to cut some players was really tough.

In fact, a notable ESPN analyst who shall remain anonymous said today, “A lot of good football players are going to get cut tomorrow.”

Don’t buy it.

While there might be a minimal emotional attachment to certain players, the bottom of rosters aren’t good enough to warrant the amount of attention that this annual NFL rite of passage gets. 

Consider the following reasons why NFL preseason cuts aren’t that difficult to make.

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The Miami Dolphins and Coach Tony Sparano are getting ready to enter their third season together. Usually, by Year 3 or 4, the roster of a rebuilding team has taken shape, and should be ready to compete.

There has been much speculation about the idea that Tony Sparano could be on the hot seat if this Dolphins team doesn’t make a playoff push this season.

This could be true, but to think that he would get the ax after a mediocre season is a pretty outlandish thought.

Another Slow Start?

The past two seasons under Tony Sparano, the Miami Dolphins have gotten off to very slow starts.

They started by losing their first two games in 2008, and they lost their first three games in 2009. However, in 2008, they bounced back to end the season going 11-3, winning the AFC East.

They had the same luck last year, but instead of ending strong, Miami dropped its last three games. Before that three-game skid, Chad Henne had an impressive record of 7-3 as a starter.

The very same start is possible this season, as Miami faces three division games in its first four weeks.

While Buffalo is expected to be bad at best, and the Jets were swept by Miami last season, Miami could be OK at the start of this season.

Though the Dolphins are predicted to have a schedule that is right in the middle as far as opponents’ winning percentage, they could have one of the toughest first eight games in the NFL.

They start the first two weeks playing in Buffalo and Minnesota, and the next two weeks they host the Jets and Patriots, both primetime games.

After their Week 5 bye, they then play at Green Bay, home against Pittsburgh, and then two more away games at Baltimore and Cincinnati.

If Miami comes through that eight game stretch with a winning record, it will have shown that the Fins are a worthy team in Year 3.

When to Start Worrying

This year is not the year to start worrying.

It always takes several years for Bill Parcells’ teams to fully realize their potential, and if this team shows any sign of struggle this season, you can expect the right pieces to be brought in next season.

The only time this question should be brought up is at the end of next year. Now is not the time to put Tony Sparano on the hot seat.

Sparano has been nothing but a great head coach, and a great person through these past two seasons.

He is by far the best head coach Miami has had since Don Shula. This entire regime is the most consistent in the NFL, and it won’t be long before this team shows that.

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NFL teams were forced to cut down from 80 players to 75 on Tuesday, and though the first round of cuts doesn’t usually hold a great deal of talent, it’s worth scouring for that diamond in the rough nonetheless.

The Miami Dolphins are far from a complete team right now and could use upgrades and/or depth at a handful of positions.

Therefore, here are some players waived by other teams in the past few days which  interest me to some degree.

Arizona Cardinals — TE Dominique Byrd

Originally a third-round pick by the Rams in 2006, Byrd has never lived up to his talent and has just six career receptions and one touchdown in four seasons.

Byrd has the talent to be a good NFL tight end, but his head is questionable and may prevent him from becoming that. He’s worth considering as a No. 3 tight end though.

Buffalo Bills — OT Kyle Calloway, NT Lonnie Harvey

Late-round rookies are waived all the time, but rarely does it happen in the first wave of cuts. But that’s exactly what happened with Calloway, who was let go by Buffalo despite being selected in the seventh round last April.

The 6-foot-7, 320-pound Calloway comes from a good program at Iowa and has some upside as an NFL right tackle, but his early release from the offensive line-challenged Bills is not a good sign.

An undrafted rookie in 2009, Harvey has spent time with Carolina and Buffalo. He’s a mountain of a nose tackle at 6-foot-3 and 342 pounds and is worthy of practice squad consideration.

Carolina Panthers — WR Dexter Jackson

Jackson made a name for himself in college at Appalachian State, scoring two touchdowns and subsequently gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated after the Mountaineers upset No. 5 Michigan in 2007.

Drafted by Tampa Bay in the second round the following season, Jackson appeared in seven games as a rookie but has not played in a game since.

At 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds, Jackson offers little on offense and has been sub-par as a returner. However, he has intriguing speed and athleticism and could be worth a look-see as a return specialist.

Chicago Bears — DE Maurice Evans

A highly-touted high school prospect, Evans was kicked off the Penn State squad after being charged with marijuana possession. He subsequently went undrafted in the 2009.

Evan has bounced around with four teams (including Tampa Bay twice) over the past year and a half and has yet to stick. While he hasn’t been able to put it together yet, he still has upside and is just 22.

Evans has only been on teams that run the 4-3 thus far in his career, but he also projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker at 6-foot-2 and 264 pounds and is practice squad eligible.

Cincinnati Bengals — LB Rashad Jeanty

The Dolphins worked Jeanty out during the offseason, but told him his ankle needed surgery. Jeanty wound up re-signing with the Bengals and spent all of training camp on the PUP list before being terminated due to a failed physical.

Jeanty is a good special teams player and solid backup outside linebacker when healthy, although there is no telling when that will be.

Dallas Cowboys — SS Pat Watkins

Drafted by then-head coach Bill Parcells in 2006, Watkins gained starting experienced his rookie season but has been primarily limited to a special teams role since.

Watkins is still recovering from a knee injury, but one would have to imagine that a big (6-5, 211), fast (4.4 speed) safety with starting experience and excellent special teams ability would have to interest the man that drafted him five years ago.

Minnesota Vikings — WR Marko Mitchell

An intriguing prospect in the 2009 NFL Draft due to his size (6-4, 218) and speed (4.49 forty), Mitchell lasted just one season with the Redskins as a seventh-rounder. He then lasted just a month in the talent wasteland of Detroit, and just two months in Minnesota despite their problems with Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin.

While he’s not off to a good start and may not have what it takes to be an NFL receiver, Mitchell has some intriguing tools and upside. His permanent lack of eligibility for the practice squad (after playing 10 games in 2009) will hurt his chances of getting picked up.

New York Jets — WR Aundrae Allison, QB Kevin O’Connell

After two unimpressive seasons with the Vikings, Allison missed the entire 2009 season after suffering a torn ACL with the Jets in the preseason.

I was really impressed with Allison and always liked his potential, but he’s no longer eligible for the practice squad and still has injury concerns to go along with developmental issues.

O’Connell is another prospect I liked coming out of college, but he’s now been traded or cut by three teams (including the Lions) in three years.

I like him as a third quarterback to develop.

Oakland Raiders — WR Paul Hubbard

A sixth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2008, Hubbard has yet to appear in a regular season game. He has good size at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds and is eligible for the practice squad.

Pittsburgh Steelers — OT Adrian Jones

Out of football in 2009, Jones has appeared in 55 games, including 26 starts, since he entered the league in 2004. An experienced guard and tackle, he could be a solid veteran backup lineman to replace Nate Garner.

Discuss this article on the forum here!

Chris J. Nelson majored in journalism at Georgia State University and is currently a programming coordinator for Turner Sports in Atlanta. He operates his own Miami Dolphins Web site, The Miami Dolphins Spotlight, and he can be followed on Twitter here.

Read more Miami Dolphins news on BleacherReport.com

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