What Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Wants to Get out of Final Preseason Game

For the time being, the Miami Dolphins are expected to trot their starters out for the preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said that was the plan before joint practice against the Jaguars on Thursday, and it’s something he hinted at after starters didn’t play against Detroit. 

For quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, it’s an exciting opportunity to straighten out the team’s offensive operation before their Week 1 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. 

“I want to work on timing with these guys,” Tagovailoa said after practice Thursday. “I want to see the procedural aspect of it, how we do with the pre-snap deals, motion, motion landmarks, lining up in the right spots, going out, playing fast. Everyone knowing where to be, knowing where to go. That’s what I wanna see for these guys.” 

Tua’s focus on timing isn’t remotely surprising — it’s the foundation of the Dolphins’ offense after all. When things are right, Miami’s combination of speed and timing makes the offense one of the best in the league. 

All of that timing and trust comes from getting quality reps between the quarterback and receiver. Although the starters likely won’t play a ton of snaps Saturday, it’ll still be valuable to build chemistry. 

One receiver Tua is especially hoping to see out there against the Jaguars is Jaylen Waddle. The receiver didn’t suit up when most of the starters played against the Bears two weeks ago and had limited participation on the first day of joint practices against the Lions. 

“Hopefully, we get to get Waddle out there,” Tua said. “Just get him back in his routine, his game day routine, the feel of getting here in the first play, going out, running the plays. And then there’s other guys as well.” 

Although Tua wants to get some last-minute work in with Waddle, those two have had plenty of reps together through the years. 

What Saturday — and the joint practice Thursday — could allow for is reps with players who haven’t worked with Tua a ton. Tyreek Hill isn’t practicing with an injury, so it would be surprising to see him suit up against Jacksonville. 

However, that’s left some room for other receivers like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Malik Washington to get additional reps with Tua. 

“I would say with Tyreek being out, it does give us an opportunity to work on more things with Waddle, work on more things with Malik,” Tua said. “It also allows me the opportunity to see which guys I can trust, which guys I can depend on when guys like Tyreek or even sometimes throughout the practice, Jaylen is sat down by the trainers or whatnot. It allows me the opportunity to see who’s in their playbook, who knows where to be.” 

Miami’s offense needs Waddle and Hill to be at their best this season, but we’ve also seen what happens when the team doesn’t have a reliable third option. 

The preseason finale won’t guarantee that Tua develops the same level of trust he has with Hill and Waddle with another receiver, but it’s an opportunity to continue building to that point.

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