Tua Tagovailoa throws three interceptions. And more from Dolphins practice on Sunday
The Dolphins initially weren’t scheduled to have a practice on Sunday, two days after their preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
But coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged the possibility of rust for the dozens of players who had not engaged in football activity since the team’s second joint practice with Atlanta on Wednesday.
So, the team conducted its 12th training camp practice with players wearing jerseys but no shoulder pads inside the Baptist Health Training Complex — and it was one that saw quarterback Tua Tagovailoa get plenty of reps. Unfortunately, it was arguably the worst practice of the summer for the fourth-year player, who threw three interceptions in 11-on-11 work.
His first pick was made by cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, who undercut a pass to wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. on an out-breaking route along the sideline; the turnover may have gone for a touchdown in a real game. His second was intercepted by safety Jevon Holland, who jumped in front of a deep pass over the middle of the field intended for wide receiver Tyreek Hill. And the third, in short red zone work, was intercepted in the end zone by DeShon Elliott. The veteran safety came away with the deflected pass that was by in the vicinity of Wilson but bounced off his left hand.
Even when Tagovailoa didn’t turn the ball over, he wasn’t his normally accurate self. In 11-on-11s, he found Hill over the middle of the field for an in-breaking route but the pass was low and behind the receiver, preventing him from getting any yards of the catch. Tagovailoa tapped his helmet with both hands as if to acknowledge his poor ball placement.
Tagovailoa did have some good moments. His best pass of the practice came in 11-on-11s, lofting a pass to tight end Julian Hill, who had a few yards of separation on a seam route over linebacker Mike Rose and would have picked up a lot of yards after the catch.
In short red zone work, Tagovailoa’s best pass came on a 4-yard back shoulder touchdown to Hill, who beat cornerback Eli Apple in coverage. He also found wide receiver River Cracraft and tight end Durham Smythe for short scores. But for an offense that has struggled through the opening weeks of camp, Sunday’s practice was another full of things to correct.
Here are other observations from Sunday’s practice:
▪ It was another strong effort for the defense, especially in red zone drills. The first team drills of the day were seven-on-seven work with the ball placed at the 10-yard line or closer. The defense allowed the aforementioned scores but on two occasions forced Tagovailoa to hold on to the ball because the coverage was so good.
▪ Linebacker Channing Tindall jumped into a passing window and deflected one of Tagovailoa’s pass attempts in 11-on-11 work. The second-year player led the team with nine tackles in the preseason opener and said after practice that he’s grasping Fangio’s scheme much better.
▪ The team had a session of practice simulating trying to get the ball into field-goal range at the end of the first half. With the ball placed near midfield, the offense was unsuccessful in getting in range on a few tries but on one occasion, Tagovailoa found Cracraft for a 20-yard gain and spiked the ball with three seconds remaining to allow for a hypothetical, last-second field goal try.
▪ One pass rusher that stood out in practice was outside linebacker Malik Reed. While Tagovailoa took every rep in team drills, the offense rotated a slew of offensive linemen and Reed was seen applying pressure on multiple drop-backs. Reed is vying for playing time behind Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb; he recorded a quarterback hit and two tackles in the preseason opener.
Attendance
Though McDaniel said rookie cornerback Cam Smith will be sidelined by his shoulder injury for an indeterminate amount of time, the rookie was at Sunday’s practice. He participated in individual drills but was held out of team drills.
The following Dolphins did not practice: defensive backs Jalen Ramsey (left knee), Brandon Jones, Keion Crossen and Justin Bethel; wide receivers Jaylen Waddle (midsection) and Braylon Sanders (lower body); backs Alec Ingold and running back Myles Gaskin; and offensive lineman Dan Feeney.
Waddle, who McDaniel said is not dealing with a serious injury, later walked onto the practice field in sweats.
Jones, Crossen, Gaskin and Feeney were all seen doing work on the side at some point during practice.
Wide receiver Robbie Chosen, who did not play in the preseason opener because of what McDaniel said were nagging injuries, practiced in individual and team drills.
Left tackle Terron Armstead and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins also weren’t seen participating in team drills after doing individual drills.
Rookie cornerback Ethan Bonner and wide receiver Braxton Berrios, who McDaniel said will be sidelined for a couple of days after receiving stitches on his forehead, both participated in individual drills but were not in team drills.
Cornerback Nik Needham and tight end Tanner Conner remain on the active/physically-unable-to-perform list but Needham was seen doing work on the side.
Who’s hot
Igbinoghene. He intercepted Tagovailoa for the second time in as many weeks and with Smith sidelined, he is increasingly becoming the favorite to start at outside corner opposite Xavien Howard.
Who’s not
Tagovailoa. The turnovers are one thing but he was late on multiple throws that ended up in incompletions.
Next practice
The Dolphins will hold their next practice on Monday at 10:30 a.m. The session is not open to fans.
Quote of the day
“Four days off of football, in what we’re trying to do, makes me a little nervous. So that was a schedule rethink. Don’t worry, I gave the person who made the schedules an earful, and then I listened.” — McDaniel on adding a practice to Sunday’s schedule after initially giving players the day off.
This story was originally published August 13, 2023 at 4:08 PM.
