MIAMI GARDENS — If the preseason opener showed us anything about the Miami Dolphins, it's that they better hope Tua Tagovailoa stays healthy.

OK, it's early. Still, when the offensive highlight of the Dolphins' 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons Friday at Hard Rock Stadium was one series in which starter Skylar Thompson had half of his completions (and one-third of the team's), it shows Tagovailoa's value could exceed the $212 million contract he recently signed.

"We still have a ton of work to do," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.

Thompson and Mike White combined to go 12 of 33 for 121 yards, with one interception and one touchdown pass, both thrown by Thompson. Thompson played the first half and was 8 of 19 for 95 yards. He had his one strong drive after an ill-advised throw under pressure was picked by Falcons cornerback Kevin King, ending that with a 6-yard scoring pass to Jeff Wilson.

But for White, it was a different story. After narrowly beating out Thompson a year ago for QB2, he had a forgettable start to this game and will need a bounce back next Saturday against Washington.

White finished 4 of 14 for 26 yards (his first completion went for 21 yards) and a 39.6 passer rating.

"Both quarterbacks in their own scenarios had some issues during the game," McDaniel said.

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McDaniel, though, is not ready to chase down free agent Ryan Tannehill just yet. Especially after revealing White was playing with a very limited supporting cast because of injuries.

"You need to see how guys perform with the starters, the guys that are veterans that have been here for a little bit and some of the new guys, too," McDaniel said. "There's a lot of days ahead before our last preseason game so we have a lot of evaluations opportunities coming fast and furious."

Some observers believe Thompson had a slight edge in the competition based on early practices and 11-on-11 drills, although McDaniel recently characterized it as "neck and neck."

But if Thompson, who played in seven games and started two as a rookie in 2022, took the lead Friday, it's mostly because he was not as bad as White.

White, in his seventh year in the NFL, won the backup job last year, a position that many believed would be far more important than it became. Tagovailoa's injury history, which included at least two concussions in 2022, had the Dolphins seeking more experience at the position. So they signed White, a hometown kid who attended University School in Davie, to a two-year, $8 million contract.

But Tagovailoa remained healthy throughout the year and White played in six games, attempting six passes.

White completed just one of his first eight passes Friday and did not connect on his second throw until early in the fourth quarter.

"I wanted to get Mike in a rhythm. There's some stuff outside of his control I wanted to see how he would respond to that," McDaniel said, referring to the injuries. "I thought he did a good job responding even though we had some rough circumstances."

White called it a good opportunity to work on other aspects, like guys getting in and out of the huddle and avoiding penalties.

"There's still other things you can work on as a quarterback that I thought I got good reps," White said. "Making sure that one thing doesn't trickle into another and get all mad if there's something that doesn't work or a drop pass here or missed assignment there. Stuff like that, just being a leader and getting the guys going."

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Although his receivers did not help him with at least three drops, White didn't help himself, either.

A pass into double coverage and behind Je'Quan Burton should have been picked. His next pass was behind Willie Snead IV, the veteran receiver from Delray Beach.

White also missed an open Burton on a second-and-13.

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Thompson, meanwhile, atoned for his interception on his next series. A short pass to tight end Tanner Connor on third-and-5 resulted in a 43-yard gain. Two plays later, he set up a first-and-goal situation with a 16-yard pass to Jeff Wilson. That led to Miami's first score.

On the touchdown, Thompson faced a blitzing linebacker to find Wilson at the pylon.

"The biggest challenge for the quarterback position is being able to respond after you have some adversity," Thompson said. "Nobody wants to throw a pick but being able to put it behind you and move onto the next play, I'm very proud of myself of how I handled that, got back on track and found a rhythm there and got it in the end zone."

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins QBs looking to back up Tua Tagovailoa not sharp vs Falcons