3 reasons the Dolphins should stick with Tua Tagovailoa as their QB
Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the most polarizing quarterbacks in the NFL since he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins fifth overall in the 2020 draft. This is partly because of the other quarterbacks in his draft class, namely Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, finding immediate success in the NFL. Also, his stats, so far, have left a lot to be desired. Tagovailoa has thrown for just 27 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 23 career games.
A lot of speculation has been made as to whether the Dolphins should stick with Tua going forward. The Dolphins had reportedly displayed an interest in Deshaun Watson before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns.
The Miami Dolphins have made a splash this offseason, first picking up stud offensive tackle Terron Armstead in free agency before making a blockbuster trade move to bring in Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.
They also, of course, hired a new head coach, in former-San Francisco 49ers offensive co-ordinator Mike McDaniel. McDaniel will hope to have as much success in Florida as he had with the 49ers, and here are three reasons why Tua Tagovailoa can bring him that success.
3 reasons the Miami Dolphins should stick with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback
#1 - His NFL Record
Tua Tagovailoa has had mixed success personally since entering the NFL, but his winning record in the league might make the Dolphins want to give him another chance. He has gone 13-8 as a starter in his two seasons in the NFL, and that is despite missing a number of games due to injury.
If the former Alabama quarterback can stay healthy and continue to develop under new head coach Mike McDaniel, there is no reason why he can't lead this team to a playoff berth.
McDaniel might see Tagovailoa in the same mold as his San Francisco quarterback, garoppolo' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>garoppolo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo never put up amazing statistics, but he consistently proved himself to be an excellent game manager, taking the Niners to a Super Bowl in 2019 and the NFC Championship game in 2021.
How come EVERYBODY takes shots at Tua⁉️
#PMSLive https://t.co/iXwAZrjUvk
#2 - Lack of Quarterback Talent Available
The 2022 NFL draft is just around the corner, and one of the main talking points in the build-up seems to be the lack of quarterback talent available this year. Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh seems to be the top prospect available, but some scouts have been put off by his hand size, which measured in at just 8 1/2 inches at the NFL Combine. Other top prospects include Malik Willis of Liberty and Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati, but there are question marks at how their skills will translate to the NFL, as well as whether they're franchise caliber quarterbacks.
If the Dolphins wanted to trade for a quarterback, the aforementioned Garoppolo would be at the top of the list, but is he really an upgrade over Tua, who is younger and has more room for development? The Dolphins could do a lot worse than stick with Tua Tagovailoa going forward.
#3 - Mike McDaniel's Belief in Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins have undergone changes on and off the field during the 2022 offseason. They hired Mike McDaniel as their new head coach and picked up Terron Armstead, Tyreek Hill, Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert to beef up their offense. These moves, as well as bringing in Teddy Bridgewater as a backup, prove McDaniel has faith in Tagovailoa to lead the Dolphins into the future.
McDaniel was asked about Tagovailoa and said: "I'm really excited moving forward because the guy has some skills that I think are untapped. I think it's important that you empower the quarterback with the rest of the players around him and the scheme you bring forth. So, I think his best days are in front of him. And that's a really cool piece of the process to be part of as a coach."
The Miami Dolphins are hoping that Tua's inefficiency since being drafted is more down to poor offensive line play, as the unit ranked dead last in PFF's final offensive line rankings in 2021, as well as being ranked 28th in 2020.
The new-look Dolphins offense 🍿
QB: Tua Tagovailoa
RB: Chase Edmonds
RB: Raheem Mostert
WR: Tyreek Hill
WR: Jaylen Waddle
WR: Cedrick Wilson
TE: Mike Gesicki https://t.co/fBpL2Vzk3f
Bringing in Armstead to immediately improve the line will be huge for Tua, and the aforementioned acquisitions prove McDaniel's has faith in Tagovailoa to be the franchise quarterback for the Dolphins.