Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and the other 16 players from the team did not take part in the Preseason Opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The announcement was informed by management 90 minutes before the match started at Raymon James Stadium in Tampa. Despite the mass absences, the Dolphins managed to secure a tight 26-24 win.

There are several names from the Dolphins’ recent signings who also missed the Preseason opener, namely wide receiver Tyreek Hill, left tackle Terron Armstead, and cornerback Xavien Howard, who was listed by Dolphins management as “not expected to play.”

Dolphins’ coach statement

On Thursday, when the second day of Dolphins-Bucs joint practices in Tampa, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said that he considered Tagovailoa’s absence against the Bucs after the quarterback participated in training camp.

“Based off of the last couple practices, I’m encouraged about the idea of not playing him,” he said.

“That has nothing to do with bottom-line results offensively. It’s more how prepared he is at practice. I just want to continue to build on what he’s been building on.”

McDaniel said that he wanted to avoid the possibility of injury from playing Tagovailoa as starting quarterback in the preseason.

“There is value in it, but every time you don’t have a red jersey on, you have the ability to get tackled,” he said.

“That’s risk. There’s a lot of risk in the game of football, but you also have to weigh that upon what’s the best thing for regular-season [Week] 1. It’s a constant battle that you just have to take your time and make the best decision, hoping it’s the right decision.”

McDaniel asserted that Tagovailoa will play in the next preseason opener and the first regular-season game against New England Patriots on September 11 at Hard Rock Stadium.

Players skip preseason

The other 16 Dolphins players who missed their preseason opener against the Bucs were listed on the inactive list with the status of injuries, on recovery, and are expected to be out.

There are several names, including cornerback Byron Jones and Armstead who are sidelined due to injury. Jones, is listed by Dolphins’ management as physically unable to perform (PUP) and missed the joint training camp.

Meanwhile, Armstead was seen participating in training camp on Thursday as the procedure for his knee injury recovery after his 2021 season with the New Orleans Saints. However, center Connor Williams was among the inactive players listed for the snapping issue.

Players who missed the game on the “expected to be out” list were Jaylen Waddle, safety Jevon Holland, edge defender Melvin Ingram, running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, fullback Alec Ingold, linebackers Jerome Baker and Elandon Roberts, defensive linemen Emmanuel Ogbah, Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler and tight end Adam Shaheen.

As several replacements, McDaniel included tight end Mike Gesicki, left guard Austin Jackson, and left tackle Liam Eichenberg as his offensive players. Both Jackson and Eichenberg played for different positions, Jackson to right tackle and Eichenberg as a left guard.

There is no further confirmation on whether Tagovailoa and the other 16 players will play against the New England Patriots in the second NFL preseason game, according to sources.

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