Tua Tagovailoa will make his first start with the Dolphins in Week 8 against the Rams.
Get ready, Miami Dolphins fans, because it’s officially Tua Time. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami’s first-round draft choice, has been named the starter over veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The news comes after the Dolphins’ 24-0 beatdown of the Jets on Sunday. Fitzpatrick went 18-of-27 with three touchdowns and two picks.
The two picks must have been the final straw for head coach Brian Flores, though Fitzpatrick hasn’t been playing terribly. But Flores has always said that he will play the players who give the team the best chance to win. And it seems like this has been in the cards for a while because there’s no way five plays were enough to convince Flores that now was the time to start Tagovailoa.
Even though this is somewhat contradicting what I just said about Flores, maybe Flores thought Tagovailoa had to earn his starting spot, regardless of which quarterback is more talented. Maybe Tagovailoa proved he has been able to handle the spotlight, though again, it was only five plays. Maybe Flores felt pressure from the front office to start Tagovailoa after the overwhelming outpour of support for him when he came into the game, which is also unlikely.
But maybe, all of the above was a contributing factor.
Tua Tagovailoa was inevitably going to take over the Dolphins in 2020.
The main concern with this move is Tagovailoa’s durability. While he was given a pristine bill of health over the offseason, some people think it’s in the team’s best interest to keep their young quarterback on the bench for the whole season. Well, that’s just not going to cut it for Flores, who may have grown tired of Fitzpatrick’s interceptions — he has seven interceptions after this week, third-most in the league.
Besides, history was always favoring Tua Time. It was just a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if.’
A friendly reminder that 16 of the last 17 QBs to be drafted in the top-6 made at least 10 starts in their rookie seasons. Jared Goff was the lone guy not to reach 10; he still made 7 starts... https://t.co/e1O7LbRKDh
— Zach Cohen (@ZachCohenFB) September 15, 2020
What should Dolphins fans expect from Tua Tagovailoa?
Miami gets a rest before facing the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 1, which should be enough time for Tua Tagovailoa to get more acclimated to the starting role if he isn’t already.
As for the next opponents, the Broncos have allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards all season, but the Chargers and the Cardinals have been susceptible at times in that area. It’s not the easiest start to an NFL career, but it’s not the toughest, either. All Dolphins’ fans can do now is sit back and watch their prized new toy get to work. It’s not a bad time to be a South Florida sports fan.