AP

Dolphins first-round pick Ryan Tannehill missed two days of camp due to a contract hangup. But the No. 8 overall draft pick maintains confidence that he’ll get a legitimate opportunity to win his team’s starting quarterback job.

The first step in upsetting veterans Matt Moore and David Garrard would be outplaying them on the practice field. And Tannehill is off to a promising start.

Per Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, it’s been “hard not to notice” how effective Tannehill has been throwing the football through a few days of training camp. Volin says Tannehill has shown “good velocity, accuracy, and anticipation.” Coach Joe Philbin relayed that Tannehill had 53 “competitive snaps” in Sunday’s practice — just a day after he signed his contract — and the rookie passer completed “over 40” of his throws.

“For a rookie quarterback,” Philbin confirmed, “I think he’s doing very well.”

Throwing with the “accuracy and anticipation” observed by Volin is a key for Tannehill after his reportedly interception-filled OTA and minicamp season.

Whether the Dolphins give Tannehill a realistic look as the Week One starter remains to be seen. But his beginning to camp has been promising after missing time, and he offers Miami its best chance to elevate the performance of the players around the quarterback, with an ability to make strong-armed throws into tight windows and extend plays with athleticism.

Tannehill may not start on September 9 at Reliant Stadium, but you can take it to the bank that he will start games at some point this year.