Dolphins must walk Hard Rock Stadium before putting Tua Tagovailoa out there

The Miami Dolphins will play the Washington Commanders on Saturday evening, but if the Hard Rock Stadium surface is as bad as it was last week, Tua Tagovailoa should stay on the sidelines. Why risk him?

Miami's stadium looked horrible last weekend when the Falcons visited. The turf was visible all over the place, as the sod had not fully taken. A week later, the Dolphins should be walking the field to see if they should put their starting quarterback on that surface. There's supposed to be some rain in South Florida on Saturday evening too. If that's the case, should No. 1 even play?

The Miami Dolphins must protect Tua Tagovailoa at all costs

Tagovailoa is indeed expected to play on Saturday night, but the question is how long? Chances are he won't play more than a quarter at most. He needs to get a few reps in before bowing out for the evening. The weather in Miami Gardens won't be terrible. There is a slight chance of rain, but hopefully things don't get out of control.

It will be interesting to see who plays offensively in the skill positions. Jaylen Waddle didn't practice this week, so it would be surprising if he sees any snaps on Saturday. Tyreek Hill might see a few snaps, but the Dolphins don't really need to risk him being out there. Chances are, Dolphins fans will see a few passes from Tua and the rest will be handoffs to Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane before they all head to the sidelines and take off their helmets for the night.

We are inching closer to the season-opener and Mike McDaniel is going to want all his players to be as healthy as possible. It goes without saying, but Tagovailoa is at the top of his list in that regard.