The Dolphins added new pieces to the quarterback room this offseason behind starter Tua Tagovailoa and the moves have produced positive returns early in camp. Veteran Zach Wilson tossed the longest touchdown of the day on Wednesday, a 50-yard strike to wide receiver Dee Eskridge, while rookie Quinn Ewers continues to impress with his quick acclimation to the Dolphins scheme.
However, nothing trumps the growth of Tagovailoa. He led the NFL in three different categories each of the past three seasons (passing rating, passer yards and completion percentage), yet still has room to expand his skill set. Head Coach Mike McDaniel was asked what stands out about the sixth-year southpaw.
"The ownership and conviction of how he's playing the position is probably responsible for not having any interceptions," McDaniel said. "He's being aggressive. I think the culmination of deliberate practice over the hours and hours and hours of work, his ownership of the game and his position within the offense I think is evident every time we step out on the field."
Tagovailoa was sharp Wednesday, particularly throwing the ball into tight windows. He threw passes to blanketed wide receivers on two occasions, once to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and another to Jaylen Waddle. Already a strength of his game, Tagovailoa's placement was on point. He consistently put the ball in the only place where his guy could make the catch.
"He's having a great camp, throwing dots," outside linebacker Quinton Bell said. "He's making tough throws that's even tougher for us to pick off. Some of the throws he's making are just unbelievable. We've got guys in right positions, but the ball is just a better ball."
Waddle was in the orange jersey (given to the practice player of the previous day), continuing his electrifying camp. He caught a pass behind the line of scrimmage and weaved his way through the blocks of Westbrook-Ikhine and tight end Pharoah Brown for a gain of at least 25 yards. The conclusion of the play is a mystery in a practice setting, but chances are that if Waddle slipped the open-field tackle attempt by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, then the play would have been a 50-yard touchdown.
Defensive playmakers did not go unnoticed. Linebacker Willie Gay Jr. got his hands on another pass and registered a sack. Outside linebacker Chop Robinson is seven-for-seven recording sacks in the team periods of all of seven practices, and rookie defensive tackle Kenneth Grant used his rare power and speed combination to stack up multiple run stuffs.
Cornerback Ethan Bonner had two pass breakups, one during team drills and another in the one-on-one period. Fellow cornerback Storm Duck also got his hands on a Tagovailoa-to-Waddle pass.
Staying with the defensive backfield, McDaniel said Wednesday that the Dolphins will be placing Kader Kohou on injured reserve, which ends his season. Kohou has been an undrafted success story.
"I saw him ascend to a different level trying to take the reins of his career and get his game to an even higher level," McDaniel said. "So, for that, and the timing of it, I was crushed until I talked to Kader and honestly Kader made me feel a little bit better about where he was at simply by his mindset."
The team announced another roster move Wednesday afternoon.
For more coverage from Dolphins camp, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
