A closer look at Tua Tagovailoa as he returns to face the Miami Dolphins with the Atlanta Falcons

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The third week of the NFL Preseason schedule typically does not include major storylines as everyone focuses on the depth players who are trying to make the roster more than the players who, in two weeks, will be starting and major contributors in the regular season. Roster cuts are coming due, with each team needing to drop 37 players in the hours between its preseason game and 6 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday.

Typically is the keyword in that opening sentence. When it comes to the Miami Dolphins’ final preseason game, another storyline is set to play out. The Dolphins host the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night, and a familiar face will hit the field at Hard Rock Stadium, but he will wear white, red, and black instead of aqua and orange. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Miami’s 2020 first-round pick, was released this offseason and now returns as the Falcons’ signal caller.

Tagovailoa is expected to start in Friday’s game for Atlanta. He will be the first “franchise” quarterback for the Dolphins to return to South Florida with another team – Bob Griese and Dan Marino never left Miami and Ryan Tannehill never faced the Dolphins in Miami after he moved to the Tennessee Titans.

Tagovailoa highs and lows in Miami

In six seasons with the Dolphins, Tagovailoa threw for 18,166 yards with 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions. He led the league with 4,624 passing yards in 2023 and earned a Pro Bowl selection that year. He was the league’s completion percentage leader in 2024 and the passer rating leader in 2022. He is the team’s all-time leader in passer rating and completion percentage and ranks fourth in franchise history in passing yards and touchdown passes.

Injuries, particularly concussions, played a major role in the decline of Tagovailoa’s play, ultimately leading to his release. He succeeded when he could anticipate routes and use his accuracy to thread passes through tight defenses. Over the last two years with Miami, the timing seemed off, his arm lost strength, and his confidence seemed shot – both in himself and in his offensive line.

Salary cap impact of Tagovailoa’s release

It was time for a new start for Tagovailoa and for the Dolphins – even as his release costs Miami $55.4 million in cap space this season and another $43.8 million next year.

Are the Falcons getting the quarterback who can lead the league in major passing statistics or are they getting the quarterback who was eventually benched last year for a seventh-round rookie? To get an idea of what the Falcons have in Tagovailoa, I spoke with Jeanna Kelley from The Falcoholic, SB Nation’s Falcons team site. She provided a great breakdown of Tagovailoa’s time in Atlanta.

Tua’s roller coaster summer

Kelley: Tua’s performance has definitely been up-and-down this summer, but there are several caveats. One, Atlanta’s right tackle Kaleb McGary retired unexpectedly this offseason, and Jawaan Taylor was brought in as the probable replacement, but he was working through some injury issues early on that delayed his ability to really integrate with that unit. You know what it’s like when an offensive line hasn’t quite developed the chemistry they need to be effective, and in addition to adjusting to a new scheme and developing his timing and chemistry with his new receivers, that hasn’t made Tua’s life easier. 

Door open for Tagovailoa to start

Kelley: I do not think Michael Penix will be able to start Week 1. I believe he is healthy, but given how recently he was medically cleared and that he’s just had three days of practice, I feel like the season is creeping up too quicky for Penix to be ready, so I think Tua will be the starter. And if Tua’s able to play well, I think it would be bonkers to make a change when Penix is ready to play. 

Tua’s work ethic on display

Kelley: Tua’s biggest strengths, in my opinion, are his maturity, intelligence (general intellect and football IQ), and work ethic. If it is at all possible for Tua to put himself in a position to succeed — if that is actually something that is within Tua’s control — I believe with his mindset and work ethic, he will get it done. If it’s out of Tua’s control, though — for example, if he (and I truly, truly hope he does not) gets another concussion, then all bets are off. 

Fans frustrated but Tagovailoa the best option

Kelley: Falcons fans are generally over the Tua experiment and would rather see either Penix regardless of whether he’s fully physically ready, or Jack Strand, the UDFA dynamo who’s shown out against guys buried deep on the depth chart, but needs quite a bit of development coming out of Minnesota-Moorhead. No, Tua has not been perfect, but I still firmly believe he’s the Falcons’ best option Week 1 unless Michael Penix’s status changes dramatically much faster than I expect. And Tua is such a good guy; I can’t help but hope it works out for him — if not in Atlanta long-term, given what they invested into Penix, then I hope he’s able to show enough this season to get another shot at a starting gig elsewhere. 

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