1. Is Chad Henne a serious contender for the starting QB job?
Coach Tony Sparano has made it clear that, while this is still Chad Pennington's team, Chad Henne's time is coming.
Pennington will start Monday night and play two or three series, but Henne will be in by the end of the first quarter and likely play into the third quarter.
Henne has been inconsistent and really struggled in the red zone, so up to this point he hasn't pushed Pennington. If there's any chance he'll get consideration to become the starter if the team struggles early in the year, he'll have to show a lot more than he has so far in camp.
2. Should Sean Smith start the season at right corner?
Veteran Eric Green had the job at the start of camp but Smith, who was selected 36 picks after first-rounder Vontae Davis, passed him about a week ago and figures to line up Monday night against Torry Holt, a seven-time Pro Bowler who was signed as a free agent in the off-season.
"You want to start out against one of the best, and he's definitely up there," Smith said.
"You start out against a guy like that, and some of the other guys will seem easier."
Left corner Will Allen has had an excellent camp, and with the first three regular-season games against some of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, Sparano needs to identify and groom his starter at the other spot as soon as possible.
3. How much better is the offensive line going to be?
With four players - tackles Jake Long and Vernon Carey, guard Justin Smiley and center Jake Grove - getting more than $70 million guaranteed, there's a sense this group should be significantly better than the one a year ago, when things reached a point late in the season where the Dolphins were incapable of running between the tackles.
"We've taken the mentality that we want to run the ball and prove that we're a better offensive line than last year," Long said.
Even Sparano has said it's difficult to grade linemen in camp, where players rarely finish blocks and almost never take anyone to the ground.
Shawn Murphy figures to get the start at right guard, but Donald Thomas will get his opportunities as he plays his first game in more than 11 months.
4. Can either rookie receiver bid for a starting job?
Patrick Turner and Brian Hartline have both had solid camps. But with Ted Ginn Jr., Greg Camarillo and Davone Bess all ahead of them, both will need to make a statement to even challenge for playing time.
"There is a lot of competition," said Turner, who has been able to use his 6-foot-5 frame to his advantage in shielding defenders from the ball.
"You just want to go out and make the plays you can, be as consistent as you can. I'm really excited."
5. Who will become the placekicker?
Dan Carpenter knows firsthand how tenuous a kicker's job can be - he beat out veteran Jay Feely as a rookie last year. But despite his solid season, he now finds himself facing a strong challenge from Connor Barth.
"(Carpenter) has missed a couple of kicks," Sparano said. "Eventually those have got to go through.
"I told the entire team, time is not on our side right now. This is not one of those deals where we can keep saying, 'We will get it tomorrow, we will get it tomorrow.' These things need to start happening soon."
