“He just wasn’t even looking my way”: Dolphins’ Malik Washington gets brutally honest about rocky start with Tua Tagovailoa

Malik Washington may need more time to earn the respect of his starting quarterback. The 2024 sixth-round pick out of Virginia led the Miami Dolphins with three catches for 41 yards in Saturday’s preseason triumph over the Jacksonville Jaguars (14-6). Still, he says that there were a couple of occasions where Miami’s starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, could have called his number but didn’t this past weekend.

“I think I noticed that right away when I got here, I was getting open a couple of times, and he just wasn’t even looking my way, and then as we kind of went on, I was like, ‘OK, he needs to trust,” Washington told the Miami Herald Saturday.

While Washington had a solid preseason, he isn’t getting too far ahead of himself regarding the 53-man final roster.

“I haven’t done anything to necessarily to make it a shoo-in or make it a given. I’m a sixth-round pick and I always remember that.”

If he makes the roster, he’ll have to contend with not being the featured go-to guy for a while, as Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have developed a rapport with Tagovailoa through their years together with the Dolphins.

For his part, though, Tagovailoa praised Washington for another aspect of his game that he believed wasn’t getting enough attention.

“What gets overlooked with Malik is also the blocking aspect of his game. I think that’s where he’s most improved from last year to this year.”

Hill is recovering from a wrist injury, though, while Waddle held out of a few practices, allowing Washington more of an opportunity to show what he’s made of.

Washington is getting praise from head coach

Washington may not be supremely confident he’ll get a lot of playing time when the regular season begins, but his head coach has noticed improvements in his game.

“His competitive greatness, as kind of defined by John Wooden as ‘being your best when your best is required. That’s Malik Washington to a T,” said Mike McDaniel on Saturday.

“I think that’s where he’s most improved from last year to this year… it just allows him to be that much more versatile for us,” McDaniel went on to say.

Even though Washington may need to earn the trust of his starting quarterback before getting more looks, he seems like a solid #3 option for the Dolphins offense looking to return to the playoffs after a disappointing 2024 campaign.

The addition of Darren Waller may create a little more competition for him as the number three guy, but by all accounts, it seems like Washington will have a role to play in the Dolphins' 2025 campaign.

Miami begins the regular season on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.