Dave Hyde: Tua (and most starters) play as Dolphins show change from last preseason

For starters, Tua Tagovailoa started. That was good and different. Most Miami Dolphins first-teamers played a bit in Sunday’s first preseason game at the Chicago Bears in a needed change from last August.

Tua starting is most important because he’s the franchise quarterback, he’s fragile and it was unnecessary.

Except coach Mike McDaniel considered it necessary for good reason. If you look at last year’s struggling start to the regular season after Tua and most starters sat most of the preseason, you see why this year is different and Sunday’s work mattered.

“That was the Boss man’s decision,” Tua said after the 24-24 tie of the Dolphins playing most starters (receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle didn’t play due to minor injuries).

The day delivered some good and bad news, just as you’d expect (see below). But the starters actually starting, beginning with Tagovailoa, sent a new and urgent message compared to the five preseason passes he threw last year, all in the second game.

His offense struggled in a 1-1 start. He had a 78.9 quarterback rating in those opening two games. The Dolphins began a 2-6 slide that took down their season.

So, yes, this preseason matters for the Dolphins — at least as much as a preseason can. It’s different for every team. Chicago sat nine starters on offense and defense. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow threw two touchdowns after not playing in preseasons and starting the season 1-9 in his opening five years.

The Dolphins tweaked their preseason thinking like Cincinnati did. Tagovailoa completed 5-of-6 passes for 27 yards on the opening drive with most of the first-team offense against Chicago’s second-team defense.

The numbers aren’t as important as the work in the game-like conditions like actual tackling. It was the same for the Dolphins defense as most starters actually started the preseason game (with no intra-squad fighting, too!).

It doesn’t mean they’ll win the opener in Indianapolis. It suggests they’ll be readier on the first day of the regular season, though. We’ll see. Just as we’ll see how much the starters play the final two preseason games.

“I don’t think that’s the last we’ll see of them,” said McDaniel, who added he expects them to play a part in one more game.

The Dolphins defense did its work against a second-team Chicago offense. Three plays and a punt. Just how you’d want it.

Tua then got some work with his new linemen, threw first downs to the Washingtons, Malik and Tahj.

That 15-play, 59-yard drive ended in a field goal after the short-yardage game being was stuffed. That showed some of the good and bad of the day’s work. Here’s some more:

Good: Malik and Tahj Washington. As mentioned, each broke press coverage for short, first-down passes from Tagovailoa. That matters, because the third receiver needs to break press coverage and take advantage of the double teams on Hill and Waddle in manner that didn’t happen last year. Tahj Washington, out all last season, showed he might be a factor this year.

Bad: Cornerbacks. Will someone step up? A lot of zone coverage. I mean, a lot. Storm Duck remains a top hope but looked lost in a 17-year completion from Chicago backup quarterback Tyson Bagent to backup receiver Devin Duvernay. It took until the final minute of the half, when Chicago was throwing deep, for a cornerback to make a play when Ethan Bonner tipped a Bagent pass for a Patrick McMorris interception.

Good: Special teams. The Dolphins challenged for the league-worst the last couple of years, so the opening three Chicago kicks mattered. Malik Washington returned a punt 19 yards and Dee Eskridge returned a punt 16 and a kickoff 41 yards. It was good stuff all day.

Bad: Backup quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers. Wilson had a touchdown drive with passes of 35 and 19 to start the day. But as the day went on he looked less comfortable, underthrowing Connor Tanner for a sure, short TD and threw a would-be pick-6 that was dropped just before half. Ewers started 0-4 and had the ball swatted out of his hands to set up a Chicago touchdown, one of two fumbles on his day.

Good: Willie Gay Jr., Derrick McLendon and Kenneth Grant. Gay’s 6-yard tackle-for-loss on the second play continued his good camp. McLendon’s sack and another tackle for loss were impactful. Grant, the first-round rookie defensive tackle, also showed what he can do with four tackles (two solo) and a batted pass on a defense that needs big, run-stuffing lineman.

Bad: Short-yardage offense: Three Jaylen Wright runs and four plays inside the 4-yard line yielded no points on the opening drive. It took three plays from the 1-yard line before Alexander Mattison hit the goal line for a touchdown. Short-yardage was a problem last year. It was a priority this offseason and this is the place to work on it. It improved as the game went on and depth charts went lower. But the fact all seven of those plays were quarterback-under-center plays shows they’re working on it.

Bad: Injuries to Mattison and safety Elijah Campbell. We’ll see how serious they are coming up.

Good: Tagovailoa. As mentioned, he played. As mentioned, he got in some good work with his offense. It doesn’t guarantee anything. It does show how it’s a different mindset this preseason than last year.