Tua’s return to the field passes all tests and more takeaways from Dolphins’ win over Texans

After much speculation, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his preseason debut against the Houston Texans on Saturday, his first NFL game since Christmas Day.

Tagovailoa played two drives in his return to the field before watching from the sideline as quarterback Skylar Thompson and running back Salvon Ahmed led the effort in a 28-3 win.

After a sloppy 19-3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in their preseason opener, the Dolphins left Houston with much to be happy about, from their starting quarterback taking the field again to a scrutinized position group starting to get its footing.

Here are three takeaways from Miami’s preseason win.

Tua’s return was anything but perfect — which is perfect

The Dolphins often talk about adversity and the opportunity to respond to it. So, while the start of Tagovailoa’s first game in almost ninth months was anything but ideal, what followed was fitting.

Tagovailoa’s first play from scrimmage, an attempt to tight end Tyler Kroft, was intercepted by linebacker Denzel Perryman and returned deep into the Dolphins’ red zone. His second had an errant snap that forced him to hand the ball off to running back Raheem Mostert just in time to avoid a safety.

Tagovailoa and the offense couldn’t have responded any better after those first two plays, though. Tagovailoa completed five of six passes for 61 yards and converted all three third-down attempts as the Dolphins capped a 93-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run by Mostert.

“That’s what preseason is for,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “I’m glad he got it out of the way. But more importantly, the team didn’t blink.”

Tagovailoa also got his share of contact in two drives, first diving to make a tackle to prevent a touchdown on the interception. On the next possession, Tagovailoa was tackled by defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins as he attempted to pass, the first time he took a hit in the pocket. As many pointed out on social media, it appeared his offseason jiu-jitsu training was already helping in the way he avoided slamming his helmet on the ground.

More than anything, there seemed to be a feeling of gratitude from Tagovailoa to be back on the field after all the injury scares he went through in the 2022 season, which caused him to at one point contemplate retirement.

“It was awesome,” he said. “You get all the feelings that you normally feel of getting back out there again. Butterflies, anxious to get out there. All these thoughts going through your head. It felt really good being able to go out there, call plays with the guys, the camaraderie in the huddle. Things didn’t go our way, adversity hit and it was cool to see the guys respond.”

The QB2 competition continues after a standout performance from Thompson

After Thompson threw a pair of interceptions and struggled in the preseason-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons, McDaniel continued to publicly back the second-year quarterback. And McDaniel indicated that Thompson would get a chance to play before Mike White against the Texans after playing the second half against Atlanta.

Ultimately, Thompson played the entirety of Saturday’s game after Tagovailoa’s day was finished (Thompson missed three snaps to be checked for an injury). And with better protection — Miami only gave up one sack — Thompson looked much more comfortable, throwing three touchdown passes and completing 68.2 percent of his passes.

“I thought Skylar did a great job handling everything,” McDaniel said. “That’s what you want to see from him. How fast he was getting in and out of the huddle, you can tell was an emphasis from him, as well as it was for me. And he didn’t get bogged down with a play. There were some plays that he’d want back but then he continued to press forward and try to make some plays, and I think he did a great job of that. Some on schedule, some off schedule. And the key will be to go watch the tape and get better from that.”

McDaniel also indicated that giving Thompson the remainder of the snaps after Tagovailoa was to allow him to get playing time with a different group of teammates than before. In the preseason opener, he played with reserve linemen and was mainly throwing to pass-catchers at the end of the roster.

“I just think you have to balance opportunities,” McDaniel said, “and there are so many confounding variables with opportunities. You get playing time but who are the eligibles? Who’s the offensive line? You want it to be settled on the field.”

Thompson said that in his second season, he is more comfortable with the language of the offense and his performance gives credence to that belief. It also showed that the competition to back up Tagovailoa likely won’t be decided until the preseason finale.

Miami’s offensive line gave an encouraging performance

The Dolphins’ offensive line still isn’t at full strength and lacks some clarity. Left tackle Terron Armstead was not expected to play in the preseason and then he injured his right leg during joint practices on Thursday; Kendall Lamm started in his place. And Miami has not decided on a starting left guard; Isaiah Wynn started as Liam Eichenberg was sidelined by an injury.

However, with three-fifths of the confirmed starting offensive line — center Connor Williams, right guard Robert Hunt and right tackle Austin Jackson — playing three drives, the unit performed well, protecting Tua Tagovailoa and opening some lanes in the running game. The team’s reserve linemen, though, were unsung heroes in a 200-yard rushing performance.

“Starting with the offensive line, the tight end group and receivers all blocked,” McDaniel said. “And then we had some ball carries make some plays in tight windows. It’s cool for guys to get rewarded for all the work that goes on unseen.”

The offensive line has come under scrutiny over the last several years but in two preseason games, the unit has shown signs of improvement under new position coach Butch Barry.