Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson had a conversation during the NFL preseason matchup on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, held at Ford Field in Detroit.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Zach Wilson had a conversation during the NFL preseason matchup on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, held at Ford Field in Detroit.
Tagovailoa led the Dolphins’ offense during the opening drive of the preseason before handing off responsibilities to backups Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers for the rest of that game and the following one. But Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel intends for Tagovailoa to take the field again to begin the team’s preseason finale this weekend.
“That’s going to be a great opportunity, a really great opportunity,” Tagovailoa said. “We’re hoping we can get (wide receiver Jaylen) Waddle involved again, get him back in rhythm, back in his game-day habits, hearing that first play call, getting lined up and running it. Obviously, there are others as well. But there’s a lot of injury-related stuff going on, so there’ll be some navigating with who’s playing and who isn’t, balancing the risk and reward, so it should be interesting Saturday night.”
Miami is set to host the Jacksonville Jaguars at 6 p.m. CDT Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, to wrap up the preseason. The Dolphins’ regular season begins Sept. 7 against the Indianapolis Colts.
“It’s our first home game,” McDaniel said. “In every regular-season contest, success or failure comes from how we prepare from practice to game time. Those reps are essential. That’s my main concern. I’ve seen major strides in technique. Preseason feels more like practice for me. It’s not about final results as much as how players apply fundamentals and technique. I want them to play together, shake off nerves, and be fully ready before things count in a couple of weeks.”
Tagovailoa noted that coaches and players approached his sixth NFL training camp with a new mindset.
“I feel like it improved us a lot as a team,” Tagovailoa said. “We honed in on what mattered. Not focused on results per play, but on techniques and fundamentals learned in individual drills, and how they carried those into team settings. If it didn’t work, then it was about evaluating, ‘What else can we do? What are we missing from both coaching and playing standpoints to position ourselves better on both sides of the ball?’”
The ex-Alabama standout said the shift in focus helped his own development as well.
“I’d say in past camps, I was chasing the big plays more,” Tagovailoa said, “looking for a specific result rather than focusing on the process. I think staying process-driven helps you stay present instead of assuming something’s going to be there and forcing it. So now I focus on reading the defense, making the throw that’s available, moving on, and if it comes back and it’s gone, just repeat the process. I think that’s keeping me grounded.”
Miami is aiming to rebound after its first losing season with Tagovailoa under center. The Dolphins finished 8-9 in 2024, a year in which Tagovailoa missed six games — four due to a concussion, and two with a hip injury.
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