Tua Tagovalioa Sits Out Dolphins Practice amid Contract Talks as Offense Struggles

As he continues to wait to receive a contract extension from the Miami Dolphins, star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa gave the team a taste of what life would be like without him.

Per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, Tagovailoa didn't participate in the second day of practice at Dolphins training camp on Thursday. Wolfe pointed out that he saw a "much different Miami offense" without Tagovailoa under center and the team's defense "dominated again."

Tagovailoa was a limited participant in Miami's first day of practice on Wednesday. ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques noted that he fully participated in individual and 7-on-7 drills, but he took just two snaps in 11-on-11 drills, both of which were handoffs to the running back.

Tagovailoa's limited participation is similar to his workload during the Dolphins' offseason program, as he attended mandatory minicamp but skipped a portion of voluntary OTAs and didn't participate in 11-on-11 drills when he was present. Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Wednesday to expect that trend to continue.

"It's very fluid," McDaniel said of Tagovailoa's practice status. "We're taking it day by day, today I expect it to be kind of like OTAs and we'll move on from there."

Tagovailoa is entering the final year of his contract and was expected to receive an extension, but that has yet to come to fruition. Other quarterbacks like Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars cashed in with contract extensions worth $212 million and $275 million, respectively.

Still, Tagovailoa showed up for veteran report day on Tuesday instead of holding out. However, he sent the organization a clear message by sitting out on Thursday, so it would be wise for the Dolphins to meet his contract demands and avoid making their signal-caller unhappy.