Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel left open the possibility that several of his stars, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, could see action in the clash against the Washington Commanders on Saturday (7 p.m.) at Hard Rock Stadium.
Injury concerns were a factor in McDaniel holding most of his starters back for the Dolphins’ preseason opener when they beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 on Friday night.
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This time, everything indicates that the strategist will give his stars some playing time, as it is the third and last match of the preseason, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Friday (7:30 pm) August 23 at Raymond James Stadium.
The regular season debut will be against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 8 at Hard Rock Stadium.
“The idea is to see some starters play against the Commanders,” McDaniel said. “Now, to announce exactly who will be chosen, we have to wait until the last moment to see who will see action on Saturday.”
McDaniel said that with the “number of injuries to manage,” he cannot make a decision in advance on the team’s lineup.
The coach said he approached the starters and told them they would get some minutes of play on Saturday, with some exceptions, and that his decision would be on a case-by-case basis.
Meanwhile, Tua has publicly expressed his enormous desire to play. Days ago, the Hawaiian star signed a contract for $212.4 million for four seasons with the Dolphins and there is enormous interest in seeing him back in action, now that he has become one of the highest-paid players in the NFL.
“I am expecting to play this Saturday,” he said. “It is always very good for all of us, rookie or veteran, to get more reps, get into the pregame schedule, and feel everything that it entails.”
Tua said that McDaniel made the decision to take the field after speaking with the players involved.
“It’s usually a mutual thing,” the quarterback said. “McDaniel goes to the team leaders, has a conversation with them, and makes the situation clear.”
According to Tua, the way this works is that McDaniel announces whether one is playing or not or whether to wait for the development of the action.
“Probably I will get an opportunity to play this Saturday,” said the quarterback. “It would be very good because it is our last home game before we go to Tampa and begin the regular season.”
The Dolphins held a joint workout with the Commanders on Thursday at their sports complex in Miami.
The offense that started was made up of Tua as a starter. Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane, Durham Smythe, Raheem Mostert, Austin Jackson, and Salvon Ahmed were also on that squad.
Everything indicates that McDaniel already has in mind the team that will play against the Commanders and is just waiting until the last moment to see the progress of the injured players.
In reality, McDaniel will be putting the starters in to keep them fit and in top condition for when the real battle begins. For now, the coach’s real job is to evaluate the performance of each of his players so that when the time comes to make the cut, he can make the decisions that best help the team achieve its goals.
