Tua Tagovailoa makes his return in Dolphins’ preseason win over Texans. What stood out
One of the more highly-anticipated preseason debuts came to fruition on Saturday, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played in the Dolphins’ preseason game against the Houston Texans. It marked Tagovailoa’s first snaps in an NFL game since Christmas Day.
Tagovailoa only played two drives but after an interception on his first pass attempt, he showed flashes of the quarterback who led the NFL in passer rating. After the pick, he completed five of six passes for 61 yards and converted all three third-down attempts. Tagovailoa led Miami on a 14-play, 93-yard drive that was capped by a 2-yard run from Raheem Mostert.
However, it was a backup quarterback and running back who stole the show for the Dolphins in a 28-3 win.
Here is a look at who’s stock is rising and falling after the loss.
Stock report
Rising
▪ Running back Salvon Ahmed: The re-signing of Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr., coupled with the drafting of De’Von Achane, seemingly put Ahmed in the position of competing with Gaskin for a fourth running back spot. And when Gaskin opened the preseason with a team-leading 57-yard rushing performance, it appeared it might be a close competition for a final spot.
However, with Wilson and Gaskin sidelined, Ahmed gave a reminder of why he shouldn’t be discounted for a roster spot — and maybe offensive snaps. Ahmed rushed for 99 yards on 12 carries -- including a 65-yard burst along the Dolphins’ sideline — and also caught four passes for 32 yards and a touchdown.
▪ Quarterback Skylar Thompson: After a preseason-opening performance in which Thompson threw two interceptions in the second half and struggled to gain any traction operating the offense, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel warned against anointing a leader for the competition to back up Tagovailoa. He also indicated that some of the offense’s struggles were not centered around Thompson and that he would get a chance to play before Mike White in the second preseason game. After Tagovailoa’s two drives, Thompson played the remainder of the game — except for a few snaps to be checked for an injury — and made a strong case for the No. 2 spot.
Thompson looked more comfortable operating the offense and was decisive in his decisions, throwing three touchdown passes. He looked more like the player that was a standout in last year’s preseason and not the one who struggled in the regular season and at times in training camp. Again, it’s just one preseason game but it appears the QB2 competition is far from over.
▪ The offensive line: It wasn’t exactly the offensive line that is expected to take the field for the regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 10. But when Tagovailoa took his first snaps since Christmas Day, most of his usual protectors were in front of him. Kendall Lamm started at left tackle for Terron Armstead and Isaiah Wynn started at left guard, while Liam Eichenberg did not play because of injury. Center Connor Williams, right guard Robert Hunt and right tackle Austin Jackson started in their usual spots.
The group mainly kept Tagovailoa clean and cleared a few nice running lanes for backs Mostert and Ahmed. The strong blocking continued when the reserve linemen entered the game, springing Ahmed for a game-long run. In total, the Dolphins rushed for 205 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. A consistent running game is a welcome addition that would elevate Miami’s already potent offense.
Falling
▪ Wide receiver Robbie Chosen: The veteran wideout had an opportunity to start the game with the first-team offense as receiver Jaylen Waddle was sidelined with a midsection injury. But while secondary options Braxton Berrios, Cedrick Wilson Jr. and even second-year player Erik Ezukanma made plays in the passing game, Chosen, who didn’t play in the opener because of an injury, finished the game without a catch on just one target.
▪ Quarterback Mike White: This designation isn’t a reflection of White’s play, because he only played a few snaps after Thompson briefly left the game to be checked for an injury. Rather, it’s noting that maybe White’s hold on the backup spot isn’t as tight as it appears a month into training camp. There is still a strong likelihood that White, who has guaranteed money on his contract, makes the team. But he will have to continue his solid showing in the final week of camp and the preseason finale in order to win the backup quarterback competition.
This story was originally published August 19, 2023 at 7:07 PM.
