Tua, Tyreek link up for 51-yard bomb on 1st play
It was only the preseason, but the Tua Tagovailoa-Tyreek Hill connection debuted with a bang Saturday for the Dolphins.
On their very first snap with Tagovailoa and Hill on the field together, the Dolphins dialed up a playaction bomb and Tagovailoa connected with his new star wide receiver for a 51-yard completion at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
The Philadelphia Eagles put two defenders on Hill and it still didn’t matter: The 28-year-old receiver outran them both and made a falling catch on the deep throw by Tagovailoa.
The quarterback immediately followed the deep ball by throwing an out route to Hill, who picked up 13 more yards. Tagovailoa finished the opening drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver River Cracraft.
It was the first — and only — action for Tagovailoa and Hill together in the preseason. Tagovailoa also played in the Dolphins’ second preseason game last Saturday, but coach Mike McDaniel decided at the last minute to hold out Hill after originally keeping him off Miami’s list of players not expected to play.
It made Saturday into the highly anticipated debut for Hill as a Dolphin.
Miami traded for Hill back in March, spending five picks, including a first-round pick in the
2022 NFL Draft, to give
Tagovailoa a true star wideout to throw to. As part of the trade, the Dolphins signed Hill to a fouryear, $120 million extension, making him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL.
His contract — and the massive price it cost Miami to get him — is because of plays like the one he made right away Saturday. a sixth receiver?
The Dolphins appear to have five players set at wide receiver: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Trent Sherfield and Erik Ezukanma. Many teams keep six — and in some cases, seven — wideouts, and the Dolphins have multiple viable candidates, such as Lynn Bowden Jr. and Braylon Sanders.
The argument could be made for the Dolphins to keep just five receivers given the personnel they’re expected to use with McDaniel’s offense. Ingold will get a lot of snaps each week and the team could continue its high usage of formations with two tight ends, as Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe and Hunter Long are all expected to be on the roster. The Dolphins will have to part ways with some talented pass-catchers, but they could likely bring Sanders back on the practice squad. Veterans such as River Cracraft or Mohamed Sanu could be signed if their depth is tested during the season.
Where does the team stand with injuries?
McDaniel has remained “hopeful” cornerback Byron Jones will be activated from the physicallyunable-to-perform
Last year, Tagovailoa’s 30 pass attempts traveling 20 yards or more were only the 28th most in the NFL, placing him right near the bottom among starters. Questions about arm strength dogged the former first-round pick and the Dolphins hoped the addition of Hill — and hire of McDaniel — would unlock Tagovailoa as a list in time for Week 1. However, Jones’ offseason surgery on his lower leg kept him out of training camp and time is winding down for him to ramp up ahead of the regular-season opener on Sept. 11. The Dolphins could move Jones from the active/PUP list to reserve/PUP list ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. This would sideline him for the first four games of the season and open a roster spot, possibly for another corner. The team could also wait until after the cutdown deadline to place Jones on injured reserve, which would force him to miss the first four games, too.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins have other players with undisclosed injuries but they don’t appear to be dealing with long-term absences. Outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, who missed the past two camp practices, had his appendix removed but there is a chance he can play in Week 1. If it turns into a multi-game absence, the Dolphins could place Van Ginkel on IR. Fellow outside linebacker Brennan Scarlett missed the final two weeks of camp, and there has been no recent update on his more dangerous passer.
This year, the 24-yearold is out of excuses and the final weekend of the preseason was a promising start to the year.
Hill checked out after one drive, but Tagovailoa stayed in for a few more, leading three straight scoring drives to start the game, and going 6 of 7 for 121 yards and a touchdown status. Waddle has been heavily limited in practice the last two weeks but was incorporated into individual drills this past week. Any player placed on IR before the cutdown deadline will miss the rest of the season unless he agrees to an injury settlement and is released.
Do any attractive options emerge on cutdown day?
Grier’s phone won’t rest in the lead-up to the cutdown deadline and probably won’t afterward. Countless teams will be looking to trade talented players they can’t fit on their roster. (A report earlier this month said the Dolphins have had trade talks regarding Bowden and wide receiver Preston Williams.) As players are released, the Dolphins could find good fits, particularly at positions with questionable depth, such as offensive tackle and cornerback.
By 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Dolphins will be down to 53 players. Odds are the front office will still tinker with the roster before they kick off against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium.
Daniel Oyefusi: DanielOyefusi on those three series. Last week, Tagovailoa played two drives and went 6 of 8 for 58 yards.
DOLPHINS HOLD OUT HOWARD, ARMSTEAD
Although Hill finally suited up, Miami still held out five other starters for the preseason finale, including Xavien Howard.
The star cornerback is one of four starters, according to the team’s current depth chart, not to play at any point in the preseason. Those other three are fullback Alec Ingold, wide receiver
Jaylen Waddle and left tackle Terron Armtead.
Both Ingold and Waddle have some injury concerns, as Ingold is less than a year removed from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and Waddle hasn’t practiced in more than two weeks because of an undisclosed injury. With Howard and Armstead, the Dolphins are just exercising caution.
Armstead, 31, signed a five-year, $75 million deal with Miami in March and is locked in as the Dolphins’ starting left tackle. Howard, 28, is the best player on Miami’s defense and his position is particularly thin after preseason injuries to fellow cornerbacks Byron Jones, Trill Williams and Mackensie Alexander.
Running back Chase Edmonds, who’s listed as one of two starters in the backfield, also did not play Saturday, although he suited up against the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend.
In total, the Dolphins listed eight players as “not expected to play” this weekend. The other four were tight end Tanner Conner, defensive back
Keion Crossen, and linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel, Calvin Munson and Brennan Scarlett.
David Wilson: 305-376-3406, @DBWilson2