The Dolphins soft-launched their post-Tua existence on Friday night, with a preseason opener featuring a 14-play touchdown drive engineered by new quarterback Malik Willis.
After his performance, which included completing four of five passes for 45 yards and nine rushing yards on two attempts, coach Jeff Hafley praised the team’s starter.
“[E]xtremely composed and very accurate,” Hafley told reporters. “Just leadership in the huddle, and it was awesome. Let’s give credit to those guys around him. I thought the O-Line did a really nice job, and I thought the protection was good. I thought he was able to run the ball with [De’Von] Achane, it was like 5 or 6 yards plus a carry that opens up passing lanes, we can run it, we can throw it. Then when we kind of got outside the pocket a few times, it was very clean, very very clean. That’s a really, really good first step, with obviously a lot to build on.”
It happened on the same night that Tua Tagovailoa had a less-than-ideal debut for the Falcons.
And everyone will be looking for comparisons between Tagovailoa and Willis. After the preseason opener, Achane said this about Willis: “It was also great to see him use his legs and run. It’s different when you got a QB that’s dual and can make plays.”
Different from what? Obviously, different from what Achane experienced in his first three NFL seasons, with Tua as the team’s starting quarterback.
It won’t be easy for the Dolphins this year, especially with so much cash and cap space devoted to a player who no longer plays for the team. But the signs are there of a new foundation that will give the Dolphins a chance to surprise people, as soon as this season.
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