MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Is a Tua Tagovailoa contract extension close? Or did the Miami Dolphins‘ QB1 simply want to show everyone what they would be missing if he ultimately walks?
No matter his motivation, Tagovailoa’s decision to end his hold-in (at least for now) and participate fully in Friday’s Dolphins training camp practice made for some high-level production by Mike McDaniel’s offense.
Yet Another Approach From Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
Quarterback Report
A day after doing nothing in practice in protest of his stalled contract extension negotiations, Tagovailoa did everything — including 11-on-11s.
And he was lights out.
His biggest highlight came on the first snap of team drills when he found a wide-open Tyreek Hill for a 70-yard touchdown pass off play-action.
Hill got behind Jalen Ramsey on a vertical route, a rare breakdown by the Dolphins’ star cornerback that he didn’t take lightly. During a break in action later in the morning, Ramsey, Hill, and McDaniel had a long and animated conversation, presumably about the play in question.
What should be really encouraging for the Dolphins (and Tua’s agent): That probably wasn’t even Tagovailoa’s best throw of the day. That came later when he delivered a marvelous anticipation pass to Hill that left Dolphins defenders shaking their heads.
“I was like, ‘Dude!'” Dolphins linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. said. “It was a play that the MIKE linebacker — I’m just happy that I wasn’t in there — but the MIKE linebacker should be there, but he threw the ball before, you know, I think Tyreek was even at his break.
“You see what he brings to the table, you see what he means to this team. How he pumps up the offense. They know, you know, he’s out there, it’s just a different, different feeling, man.
“You love everybody. You love all the quarterbacks, but it’s a different feeling when 1 is in there, and I think the guys feel that.”
So is Tua back for good (perhaps signaling progress in contract talks)? Or will he resume his hold-in when the team returns to practice on Sunday?
Check back Sunday.
Injury Report
The first week of 2024 training camp went far better than the early days of 2023 camp, simply because the team avoided major injury. Jalen Ramsey mangled his knee in Day 2 last year, costing him half the season.
There have been no major issues so far in 2024, and the Dolphins are determined to keep it that way. They have a number of key veterans on a maintenance program, giving them off days to keep them fresh and healthy.
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On Friday, tackle Terron Armstead and running back Raheem Mostert took a seat.
“You’re trying to disperse veterans so that no one position is put out of sorts or left vulnerable by lack of legs, thereby making their position group vulnerable to injury,” McDaniel explained.
“It’s all very strategic. Trust me. It’s not just me involved in those plannings. That takes a whole team that when they bring the best ideas and the good ideas, I co-sign those and make them my own.”
Stock Up
- Competition really does bring out the best in everyone. Jordan Poyer has responded to the arrival of Marcus Maye by having an excellent camp. He had blanket coverage during the first 1-on-1 drills of the summer, breaking up a pass one of the times he was targeted.
- River Cracraft seems well on his way to earning a Dolphins roster spot for the third straight year. Long a McDaniel favorite, Cracraft has had a strong camp, catching a deep ball in 7-on-7s.
Stock Down
- Aaron Brewer will be the Dolphins’ Week 1 starter, but he definitely needs more reps snapping to Tua between now and the opener. He had multiple mistakes in the center-quarterback exchange Friday.