The Atlanta Falcons left Florida with a 17-12 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Friday's preseason finale. While it was easily the most competitive of the team's three exhibition games, it wasn't exactly a nail-bitter. The Falcons played their starters in the first quarter and got out to a 17-6 halftime lead.
The Dolphins managed a pair of field goals in the second half but Atlanta held on for a five-point win. With the NFL cut deadline coming up on Sunday, both teams were rightfully more concerned with evaluating the bottom of their rosters than the outcome of the game.
Here are five takeaways from the Falcons' preseason win over the Dolphins.
Tagovailoa solid in return despite boos from Miami fans
Tagovailoa returned to the city where he spent his first six NFL seasons and received a round of boos
from the Hard Rock Stadium crowd. Even though his time in Miami came to a bitter end, the fact that he was released made it somewhat surprising to see Tagovailoa get such a bitter reaction. Nonetheless, Tua went 7-for-8 for 95 yards and led a touchdown drive on the opening possession. Kyle Pitts caught three of those passes for 59 yards, including a 37-yard gain on the opening drive.
Tagovailoa and center Corey Levin botched a snap that led to a fumble, but it was solid showing for the veteran QB overall. Will it be enough to secure the QB1 job? While Friday's performance likely helps Tua's case a little, I don't believe the Falcons would have waited this long if they didn't prefer Penix.
Tua runs onto the field and gets a loud amount of boos. pic.twitter.com/I44quU6EdR
— Big E (@ian693) August 28, 2026
Falcons RT Jawaan Taylor has rough night
The Falcons acted quickly to sign Jawaan Taylor following Kaleb McGary's retirement. Even though the move was a no-brainer, Taylor's penalty problems seem to have followed him to Atlanta. The veteran right tackle committed two false start penalties in the first quarter.
Taylor is still working his way back from an injury, so we're going to give him somewhat of a break for Friday's performance. However, it wasn't a good sign for a player who has committed a league-leading 74 penalties since 2021. Luckily, Taylor still has a few weeks to get things cleaned up before the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
2 undrafted Falcons rookies make case for roster
Prior to the game, I had three undrafted rookies making the Falcons' 53-man roster. Wide receiver Vinny Anthony and defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr. both helped their cases on Friday night. Anthony recorded another big return, this time taking the ball 52 yards to put the Falcons in scoring position. That ability to flip the field is why I think the team needs to hang on to the former Wisconsin Badger.
Allen has impressive strength and he showed it during a goal-line stand in the second half. The undrafted free agent finished with three tackles and one TFL against Miami. The Falcons will have some tough decisions to make, but both Allen and Anthony helped themselves on Friday.
Rookie QB Jack Strand has quiet night
Strand was coming off of an incredible showing last week against the Colts, however, the team didn't seem interested in seeing the rookie do much on Friday night. Cooper Rush was again given the second-string reps, and while he played well, it was somewhat surprising that Atlanta didn't choose to give Strand any time in the first half. Even when the former MSU-Moorhead QB was out there, the play-calling was fairly conservative.
Strand completed 6-of-7 pass attempts for 42 yards and an interception on a tipped pass. He wasn't bad, but it felt like the team was on cruise control once Strand entered the game. Will the rookie make Atlanta's 53-man roster? Most would agree Strand is worthy of a spot, but Stefanski's distribution of QB reps makes me feel less certain than 24 hours ago.
What's next for the Falcons?
The NFL's roster cut deadline has been moved up to Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, which means Atlanta has less than 48 hours to get the team down to 53 players. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said there would be some tough decisions, and he wasn't lying. Once the Falcons finish roster cuts and fill out their practice squad, it's on to the regular season.
In Week 1, Atlanta will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. The game will be played on Sunday, September 13 at 1 p.m. ET. Follow along with our roster tracker once the cuts start coming in.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: 5 takeaways from Falcons' win over Dolphins in preseason finale
