It's no secret that starters typically don't play much in preseason. That means Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has yet to take the field in a game, with Mike White and Skylar Thompson getting the reps under center in the team's first exhibition contest last week. That being said, Tua is hoping to see some playing time in the Dolphins' second preseason game on Saturday against the Washington Commanders.
The signal-caller knows head coach Mike McDaniel will make his decision based on how everyone is feeling at the end of the week. Via Pro Football Talk:
“I think it’s sort of like a mutual thing,” Tagovailoa said, via a transcript from the team.”He gets with the leaders of the team, guys who have established themselves and guys who have earned the respect of the guys in the locker room — gets with those guys and has a conversation with them and we come up with basically the idea of ‘Yeah, we’re all playing’ or ‘Maybe not this one,’ or ‘We’ll see what that looks like.’ Hopefully we do get that opportunity. It would be good because this is our last one at home before we go to Tampa and then we actually start the season.”
The Dolphins beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 last Friday, scoring 14 of their points in the second quarter.
Big expectations for Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa
After months of negotiations, the Dolphins handed Tua a bag this summer, extending the quarterback on a four-year, $212.4 million deal. He's now under contract with Miami through 2028. The former Alabama standout has thrived since McDaniel took over as head coach, ranking top-five in numerous categories across the last two seasons including passing yards, passing touchdowns, QB rating, and pass yards per attempt.
Despite suffering several concussions in the 2022 season, Tagovailoa bounced back in 2023. He threw for a career-best 4,624 yards and 29 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, going 11-6 in the process. The Dolphins unfortunately lost in the Wild Card Round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Tua's ability to stay healthy last year undoubtedly earned him the lucrative extension, proving that he can be Miami's QB1 for many years to come. The Dolphins have all the talent to be a playoff contender, especially given Tagovailoa's weapons downfield. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle form a dynamic partnership at wide receiver.
There's no question the Fins will score points. They've averaged 27.6 points per contest with Tagovailoa at the helm. The X-factor for this team will be their defense, which allowed 23.2 points per game in '23. That ranked 22nd in the league. It doesn't matter how well Tua and Co. play if the defensive unit isn't holding it down.
Aside from extending Tua, the Dolphins also restructured Hill's contract. He'll make $65 million guaranteed across the next three seasons. Needless to say, the Miami offense is set for the foreseeable future.
The Fins begin their '24 campaign on September 8th against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium. Hopefully, they can get started on the right foot before a tough divisional clash against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.
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