To Play or Not to Play Tua ... Where It Stands

Head coach Mike McDaniel wouldn't confirm whether Tua Tagovailoa would play against the Houston Texans on Saturday

The biggest question for the Miami Dolphins heading into their second preseason game revolves around quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and whether he’ll be in the lineup.

Head coach Mike McDaniel, to use a football term, punted on the question when it came up during the joint practices at the Houston Methodist Training Center.

He did say he expected Tua to play in at least one preseason game, but didn’t provide details beyond that.

“I would expect to see him in the preseason,” McDaniel said Thursday. “However, you know me. I’m a wild card. I do think game reps are valuable depending on where you’re at in your journey for preseason setting up the regular season. So I would expect him to play. How much and when, will be determined after today for this next preseason game and will probably be around the same time before Jacksonville as well.”

So basically McDaniel knows, as you’re reading this, whether Tua will play, except that he didn’t have any media sessions scheduled until after the game.

TUA'S PRESEASON PAST

If we’re going to go strictly on what McDaniel did with Tua in the 2022 preseason, McDaniel's first as Dolphins head coach, then Tua will start against the Texans.

Tua sat out the preseason opener at Tampa Bay last summer after joint practices with the Buccaneers, then played two series against the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium the following week before again seeing action in the preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tua also played two preseason games in 2021, starting against both the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons before sitting out the preseason finale at Cincinnati.

During his rookie year of 2020, there was no NFL preseason, of course, because of COVID-19.

During his weekly media session Wednesday, Tagovailoa was asked how he felt about playing in the preseason and was pretty clear.

Tua's reply: “Whatever Mike (McDaniel) has in plan, whatever he has in store, I’m ready whether I play this week, whether I play next week, whatever he decides or if I don’t play.”

Tua then was asked whether he would approach McDaniel and ask him to let him play in a preseason game if he felt he needed the work.

“I mean, I wanted to work last week, too," Tua said. "So it’s really up to Mike. No matter which way you spin it for him. 'I got you, but no.' 'Makes sense, I understand what you’re saying to me, but no.' All right.”

THE ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST PLAYING TUA AND THE ARMSTEAD FACTOR

Given human nature, it’s entirely possible that McDaniel developed some major reservations about playing Tua against Houston after watching tackle Terron Armstead leave the practice field on a cart Thursday.

Even if the outcome for Armstead looks much more favorable now than Thursday morning, it might make McDaniel decide he’s just not going to take any chances.

As for the idea of Tua playing without Armstead at left tackle, McDaniel shot down the concern there saying his expectation is that whoever lines up at that spot will provide NFL-quality work.

Besides, Tua did make two appearances in the 2022 preseason and Armstead didn’t play one down. And the argument can be made that because of his injury history, maybe playing without Armstead in the preseason has some benefit because it could happen at some point in the regular season.

As for Tua needing work, sure, any game rep can be beneficial, but the Dolphins have to weigh the benefit of whatever gain could be had by Tua getting snaps against Houston versus additional exposure — however limited it might be — to injury.

From here, we’d probably suggest the Dolphins limit Tua to one preseason appearance because there’s not as much to gain in a best-case scenario as there would be to lose in a worst-case scenario.

We’ll find out Saturday what McDaniel ultimately decided.

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