Can Tua Tagovailoa lead the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs?

After the Dolphins bye week, Tua Tagovailoa will take over as the starting quarterback.

Since being drafted No. 5 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been waiting for the opportunity to step back onto the football field.

During Miami’s 24-0 win over the rival Jets in Week 7, the Alabama Crimson Tide product got his opportunity late in the game to take his first professional snaps. Tagovailoa completed his first two passes, showing Dolphins fans a sign of what was potentially arriving.

And now, he’s getting his first start. ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced Wednesday that, after Miami’s bye week, Tagovailoa will make his first career start against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8:

It’s been a long time coming for the left-handed wonder. When you go back to when he last played football, it’s hard to fathom that he would still be in a position to ever take a snap again.

Fans in Tuscaloosa surely remember Tua going down with the hip injury that ended his college career.  However, Tagovailoa almost immediately began rehabilitating vigorously up to and since the Miami Dolphins invested in him as their franchise quarterback.

With Tua Tagovailoa helming the offense, are the Miami Dolphins a playoff team?

So far this year, Miami is second in the AFC East behind Buffalo with Ryan Fitzpatrick leading the way, owning a 3-3 record. But fans in the NFL know the cycle of Fitzpatrick. And with a bye week looming and more opportunities to heal and be at greater strength, Tagovailoa is enabled to prepare further.

Now the question becomes how much better the Dolphins are with Tua Tagovailoa at the helm. The rookie was prolific throughout his time with the Crimson Tide and Miami has made marked improvements on both sides of the ball. If Tua can come in and have a Justin Herbert-like impact, it’s truly not far-fetched to think this team could make a run at a postseason spot.

Not only is Miami just one game back of the Bills in the AFC East but, with a third Wild Card team for each conference earning a big starting this season, there is another opportunity. The Dolphins are a young team that should only get better as the season goes on and their rookie quarterback could be the spark that takes them to the next level.

The looming task against Aaron Donald and the Rams in his first start is, without a doubt, intimidating. But Tua Tagovailoa has battled through adversity before and his mindset is what has been lacking for the Dolphins for years. It’s finally Tua Time.