For the first time since taking over as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Mike McDaniel got an opportunity to see what his offense looks like with Tua Tagovailoa under center.
After sitting for the entire preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tagovailoa got 13 snaps against the Las Vegas Raiders in the team’s second game. The former Crimson Tide signal-caller completed six of his eight attempts for 58 yards and a 94.8 passer rating.
Unfortunately, Tagovailoa’s two drives resulted in just three points.
After the game, McDaniel was asked to evaluate his quarterback’s play, and he was happy to oblige.
“I was really happy with Tua because he has been having such a good camp, just in his development and ownership of the offense,” McDaniel said. “I was very hopeful that he would be the same guy on game day. It was my first opportunity with him, and he executed really everything that we asked him to do. His ownership of the offense, his command of the players was real good. He distributed the ball well. There were a couple of times that he got to three in his progression, and he adjusted with the defense. They kind of came out and weren’t matching personnel, and that wasn’t something that in the preseason you necessarily expect nor prepare for. Didn’t bother him in the slightest, so I was happy with his performance, and it was something to build upon moving forward that the team really was pumped to see.”
It’s unknown whether or not Tagovailoa will see the field in the third preseason game, but it may be beneficial to see him get an opportunity with Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, who were both inactive on Saturday.
Having left tackle Terron Armstead back would also make a huge difference in the protection for Tagovailoa, but it doesn’t feel like he’s going to take the field until the games actually matter.
