Tua Tagovailoa spent six seasons as the Miami Dolphins’ starting quarterback before the Dolphins released him this offseason, sending him to the Atlanta Falcons and closing out a run that included some of the closest bonds he built in that locker room. One of those was with Chop Robinson, Miami’s 2024 first-round pick, who spent two seasons lining up on the same practice fields as Tagovailoa before the roster shakeup split them onto opposite rosters. 

While addressing a post-joint practice presser, edge rusher Chop Robinson wants to finally get his hands on his former quarterback. He pointed out that joint practices kept things restrained, with contact on Tagovailoa off limits, but a real game changes that entirely, and he’s hoping to get as close to him as he can this time around, per Miami Dolphins beat reporter David Furones.

“No, it’s personal,” Chop Robinson said. “It’s always personal. We’re going against each other out there. It’s going to be fun, especially since we couldn’t hit him. But now it’s game time, and I’ll be able to hit him. I hope I can get close to him. But again, he was a good guy, a great teammate. I wish him the best. I’m going to be doing better here.”

Robinson’s comments were not rooted in any bad blood between him and his former teammate but rather a brotherhood between the two. During the same presser, he accepted that he misses playing with Tagovailoa and said that he [Tagovailoa] is “a great dude”.

That eagerness makes more sense once you consider a simple rule of NFL practice fields: defensive players are never allowed to touch their own quarterback during training camp or regular-season sessions, no matter how competitive the reps get. 

For two full seasons, Robinson rushed the passer alongside Tagovailoa in practice and regular-season games without ever once being permitted to bring him down. Friday’s preseason finale changes that entirely. 

It’ll mark the first time Robinson has ever had a legal, live shot at sacking his former teammate, turning what might otherwise be a routine exhibition rep into something he’s genuinely been waiting years for.

The Dolphins released Tagovailoa in this offseason, and he later signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons for $1.3 million.

Robinson’s comments add an intriguing layer to Tagovailoa’s return to Miami, but the bigger question now is whether the Falcons will continue trusting him as their starter after a difficult preseason debut.

Tua Tagovailoa’s QB1 Job Might Disappear Into Thin Air

While reporting on NFL Network, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Tua Tagovailoa might lose his QB1 job to Michael Penix Jr. as Penix is set to return from his ACL injury and Tagovailoa’s poor performance in the first preseason game against the Denver Broncos has changed the dynamics of the Falcons QB competition. 

“It really seemed that the goal of the entire organization was to have Tua be the starting quarterback right away to start the season,” Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Network on Monday night. “Let Michael Penix come along slow. Remember, it’s still nine months or so since the ACL tear. Really, you’d like him to be inactive for the first several games and really just take his time and make sure he’s fully healthy. Tua’s play made that impossible.”

While starting against the Broncos in the first preseason game, he went three for five for 22 yards, and he led the Falcons to one first down in two series. Speculation suggested that his poor performance in the first game made it possible for Penix to get the job.