NFL Preseason Blitz: Falcons QB Tua Tagovailoa booed in Miami return, but shows a little improvement

Tagovailoa didn't play well in the Falcons' preseason opener and didn't play in the second preseason game, so he had one more shot in the preseason to make a decent impression. And he did look OK in his one quarter of work against his old team, the Miami Dolphins, though he took no chances. Tagovailoa didn't have a single throw more than 6 yards downfield but he did complete passes, going 7-of-8 for 95 yards. Most of the yardage was on a pass behind the line of scrimmage that Kyle Pitts Jr. turned into a 37-yard gain. He also lost a fumble on a snap from center, which won't sit well with the Falcons' coaches.

It was a funny coincidence that Tagovailoa's last shot to impress his new team before the preseason ended came against his former team.

The small crowd in Miami booed when Tagovailoa came out for his first series. He was cheered in Hard Rock Stadium many times, but his Dolphins career ended with a thud. Tagovailoa was cut this offseason after a poor 2025 season and Miami took on an NFL record $99.2 million dead cap hit, which is split over two seasons.