Miami Dolphins Stock Report (Practice 12)
We’re officially on five straight practices, or games, where the Miami Dolphins offense has put together an underwhelming performance.
In the joint practices, and Friday night’s 19-3 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the fingers of blame can be pointed to other quarterbacks, but during Sunday’s indoor practice there was nobody else to blame but Tua Tagovailoa, who handled every single snap for the offense.
And the outcome of Sunday's sessions wasn't pretty.
Take a look at who performed well, and it might explain why Tagovailoa struggled.
Top Performers
CB Noah Igbinoghene - Igbinoghene has one man standing between him and a starting spot for the season opener, and that’s himself. With Cam Smith limited by a shoulder injury he suffered in Friday night’s preseason opener, Igbinoghene has a clear path to the starting spot if he remains consistent and flashes playmaking ability. The pick-six interception he pulled down on a Tagovailoa pass intended for Cedrick Wilson Jr. during the first 11-on-11 period hints that Igbinoghene has turned the page on his past struggles.
FS Jevon Holland - The Dolphins star safety undercut a deep route to Tyreek Hill in the second 11-on-11 period of Sunday’s practice. The interception illustrated the playmaking ability the former Oregon standout has in this defense, which will ask him to fill numerous roles. Fellow safety DeShon Elliott also pulled down an interception on a pass that bounced off Wilson's hands, but Holland gets the edge because he ran the route just as well as Hill did.
OG Isaiah Wynn - Based on his performance running with the second-team offense against the Falcons, it’s a matter of when, not if, Wynn gets the bulk of the first-team reps as the starting left guard. Head coach Mike McDaniel already is hinting that a chance is coming. Liam Eichenberg’s daily struggles have opened the door for Wynn, a 40-game starter for the New England Patriots, to push his way up the depth chart, and if he produces a strong week of practice against the Texans the starting spot could be his.
Stock Down
QB Tua Tagovailoa - It wasn’t just the interceptions that Tagovailoa threw that were disappointing. The fourth-year starter was off the mark on a handful of passes, some of which hit the ground before they even got close to his intended target. There were also a handful of would-be sacks caused by sensational coverage, more so than offensive linemen, tight ends or tailbacks getting beat. Because the tide of the offense goes with the quarterback’s performance, it’s easy to say Tagovailoa needs to tighten the screws on his overall execution. Nobody cares that he’s working without Jaylen Waddle and now Braxton Berrios. His job is to protect the football, move the offense into scoring territory, and to execute in the red zone.
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