The Miami Dolphins wake up this morning as winners in Week 2 of the preseason, taking advantage of a watered down Atlanta Falcons team and a lot of strong execution to romp their way to a 37-17 victory at Hard Rock Stadium. For the Dolphins, the showcase provides a much-needed bounce back from an underwhelming second half by the backups in Chicago; as Miami conceded 20 straight points and coughed up a two touchdown lead against the Bears.
What were the biggest takeaways for the Dolphins coming out of this contest? Here are three big observations from the offensive side of the ball.
We’re just scratching the surface of looks for Jaylen Waddle
Waddle provided a little bit of drama on Saturday night — he appeared to get leg-whipped on a run down near the goal line while blocking on Miami’s opening possession. From there, he limped off the field, crumpled near the sideline, was helped to the blue tent, walked back to the locker room under his own power and, eventually, was back on the field.
Crisis averted. But what Waddle showed in Miami’s opening drive was a number of different electric ways to win with the football. Miami got him the ball early in the flat with an RPO bubble. They brought him in motion at the snap for a touch pass that was good for nearly 10 yards. And one of the most promising routes Waddle ran wasn’t even one where he caught the ball — he was running deep on a play action shot that Tua Tagovailoa took a sack on due to a protection breakdown from RB Malcolm Brown.
Tua Tagovailoa is not the same quarterback from 2020
Speaking of Tagovailoa, this is not the same quarterback that we saw at the end of last year. Not by a long shot. So all those ‘hot takes’ and narratives from this winter can be thrown right in the trash. Miami has catered a lot to Tagovailoa’s strengths and the throwing sessions Tagovailoa has held this offseason are clearly paying dividends, too.
Tack on more quickness in the pocket, better strength in the grasp of defenders and a more clean “push” of the ball when he needs to drive one home? Dolphins fans have a right to be excited. Tagovailoa has 282 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception and a 93.0 passer rating while completing 24 of 34 (70.5%) attempts. And an 8.29 yards per attempt figure is two full yards per attempt more productive than his 2020 play.
The right tackle battle may not be over after all
Jesse Davis’ experience gives him a significant advantage. But we’d be foolish to call this competition complete. Liam Eichenberg shared reps with Robert Hunt on Saturday night and did wonders in the run game, double teaming defenders into oblivion. Of course, Eichenberg still has a ways to go. But with one preseason game left, this was the answer Eichenberg needed to keep his name in the race.