The Miami Dolphins’ opening joint practice with the Detroit Lions yesterday was a tough one for Tua Tagovailoa and the offense. Miami struggled to sustain drives, finish in the red zone, and keep Detroit’s pass rush in check during Day 1 in Allen Park, leaving plenty to address before today's follow-up session and Saturday’s preseason matchup at Ford Field.
As reported by Sports Illustrated’s Alain Poupart, Miami's offense had difficulty sustaining success against Detroit’s defense. Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa failed to produce a clear touchdown, coming closest on a swing pass to Jaylen Waddle in a red zone drill that was marked short of the goal line.
Several deep pass attempts fell incomplete, and pressure from Detroit’s front often forced Tagovailoa to throw the ball away.
That pressure was only made worse by the absence of key playmakers. Tyreek Hill sat out competitive work while continuing to manage an oblique injury, while Waddle saw limited snaps after being held out of the preseason opener. With their top receivers restricted, the remaining wideouts struggled to create separation and dropped several catchable passes.
Drops from Dee Eskridge, Malik Washington, and Tahj Washington, including one where Tahj did push-ups behind the huddle, added to the offense’s struggles and highlighted how unproven the Dolphins’ receiver depth looks without their marquee receivers in Hill and Waddle.
The passing issues were largely due to Detroit’s pass rush, which set the tone early. Tagovailoa was sacked multiple times, including twice in a three-play stretch by Aidan Hutchinson. On the other side of the ball, the Dolphins’ defense had its own struggles, as Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown consistently won matchups in both one-on-one and team drills, creating problems throughout the day.
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The performance marked a sharp contrast to Tagovailoa’s early-camp form, when he opened with seven straight practices without an interception, praising Zach Wilson and rookie Quinn Ewers for pushing him to improve while they adapt to Miami’s system.
That early confidence was not reflected in yesterday's results, however. Wilson threw two interceptions in five passes during seven-on-seven drills and missed several open targets. Ewers completed a few throws but was unable to sustain drives, leaving the quarterback group as a whole struggling to create momentum.
Tagovailoa didn’t commit a turnover, but he still left the field unsatisfied with the offense’s showing. “Today offensively was a very frustrating day in regards to what we wanted to do, what we said we wanted to do,” he told reporters, per NFL.com’s Nick Shook. “Came out and we just weren’t able to get things jumpstarted.”
That lack of rhythm is exactly what Miami will try to correct in Thursday’s follow-up session, their final on-field work before Saturday’s preseason matchup with Detroit at Ford Field. It’s a quick turnaround, but also an opportunity to make themselves stand out against one of the NFC’s toughest teams.