Tua Tagovailoa has been under major scrutiny for many reasons, but Dolphins fans have no reason to worry. Brian Flores will make sure Tagoviloa has the tools to succeed.
The Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft with hopes of him taking the Dolphins to the next level. As a top-five pick, let alone a quarterback, all eyes focus on you. And that amplifies any tribulations, though Tua has been through plenty of adversity before.
Tagovailoa had his fair share of misfortune in college as he dealt with a slew of injuries at Alabama. The quarterback had an ankle injury that kept him out of the 2018 SEC Championship Game, a knee injury that slowed him down and then the 2019 season that saw him limited due to an ankle injury before returning and suffering his career-threatening hip injury.
In the wake of that injury, Tagovailoa’s draft stock was thrown into question. However, many still mocked him to the Miami Dolphins and, of course, that’s where he ended up.
His rookie season was a roller coaster, without question. His first start didn’t come until Week 8 and he was even benched a few times thereafter. Subsequently, his play was heavily criticized, especially when compared to the year Justin Herbert enjoyed. But he was coming off a serious hip injury with no preseason to aid him. Thus, there are reasons to be optimistic that Tagovailoa will be great.
Here are four of them.
4. The top-tier defensive play under head coach Brian Flores
Brian Flores, the former 15-year New England Patriots staffer completely transformed the Dolphins defense in 2020. Dolphins went from last in the league (30.9) in the points allowed per game to sixth (21.1). They were also last in the league in sacks in 2019 with 23 and jumped to tenth (tied with the Green Bay Packers) in the league with 41.
Being able to pressure the quarterback in the NFL is a big deal. This clip highlights how hectic the Miami defensive front was this past season. With the top-six sack leaders for the Dolphins defense all under contract for at least 2021, Miami should be able to keep the pressure rate up.
The Dolphins defense was also tied first in interceptions (18), led by First-Team All-Pro Xavien Howard. Howard led the NFL in passes deflected (20) and interceptions (10) in 2020. As with the pass rush, every player who nabbed an interception in 2020 is under contract for 2021. Having these players locked up is big for Flores’ defense heading into the next season.
For the Dolphins’ defense to keep the elite pace, they will have to keep up the turnovers as they led the NFL in total turnovers (29) in 2020. Turnovers and pressures are valued highly for an elite defense and bringing players back who did both in 2020 sets the team up for success moving forward.
The youth and veterans mix is perfect for Tagovialoa as keeping the pressure off No. 1 will be a huge help for the Dolphins. Football is a team sport and Tagoviloa is in great hands with Flores guiding him and his peers.
3. Opportunity for Tua Tagovailoa to grow and improve with the Miami Dolphins
The pocket presence was a bit of an issue for Tagovailoa in 2020 as the speed of the NFL is greater than college and it showed. Tagovailoa’s first career dropback in his Dolphins debut as a starter resulted in a strip-sack by Aaron Donald. The Dolphins eventually won that game but taking sacks didn’t stop there.
Arizona sacked the quarterback three times the following week but he was kept clean with no sacks in Week 10. However, a pitiful passing performance was worsened by six sacks against the Broncos in Week 11. That game saw Tagovailoa get benched, which made way for Fitzpatrick, who came in and led the way to victory.
Moving forward, Tagovailoa must improve his pocket presence to help out the offensive line. But he must also develop in terms of throwing his wide receivers open. While the Dolphins wide receivers ranked worst in the NFL in separation from coverage, the young quarterback has to help his guys out.
Simply put, Tua must get more out of his wide receivers. But of course, he’s not the only rookie quarterback in NFL history to struggle. Peyton Manning, John Elway and Steve Young all had first-year struggles before submitting Hall-of-Fame careers. There is a learning curve, especially for a player coming off a serious injury and with limited offseason preparation.
2. Furthering the good things Tua did as a rookie
Presenting fans with some self-evaluation, Tagovailoa said his rookie season was below average. Being accountable is a clear trait of a leader and leadership is something Tagovailoa should’ve picked up from Ryan Fitzpatrick.
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One of the biggest highlights of the season for Tagovailoa is that he wasn’t hampered by either ankle or hip injury. Although a thumb injury sidelined him for a game, the Alabama product stayed away from the injury report for the most part.
In Week 9, Tua showed flashes of the greatness that he could potentially bring to Miami at this level. Whether it was scrambling for a first down, making a poised throw or just improvising to make a play, Tagovailoa didn’t shy away from the big stage.
Tagovailoa finished the season with a 6-3 record as a starter and had a similar Offensive Value Metric as Justin Herbert, per Pro Football Network. In addition to having a similar bad throw percentage to the NFL Offensive Rookie of the year (Herbert), Tagovailoa had a lower bad throw percentage than reigning Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady.
The Miami Dolphins have a lot to look forward to in Tagovailoa; the rookie quarterback showed durability, mobility and accuracy through nine games. Surrounding him with a few more offensive weapons could take the Dolphins to the next level offensively.
1. Continued Miami Dolphins rebuild surrounding Tagovailoa with talent
The Miami Dolphins should’ve made the playoffs but they needed to beat a hot Buffalo Bills team in Week 17 to clinch. It’s easy to look at Tagovailoa’s three interceptions in the regular-season finale but the entire Dolphins team came out flat.
The Dolphins receivers had 11 drops against the Bills in a playoff-clinching effort. Wide receiver is a position Miami should target with one of their two first-round draft picks. It’s a star-studded receiver class and the Dolphins can’t go wrong with any of these players: DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, or JaMarr Chase.
With Chan Gailey resigning, the Dolphins promoted Eric Studesville and George Godsey to co-offensive coordinators. Charlie Frye was hired as the new quarterbacks coach and he’s familiar with the young quarterback having coached him at the Elite 11 camp. Tagovailos will have familiar faces working with him, which is a plus.
Miami could use an upgrade with a pass rusher, wide receiver, running back and offensive line. Addressing those positions to continue the rebuild would set Tagovailoa and the Dolphins up to make a leap.
With the Bills returning most of their core, the Dolphins will have to make key steps in improving the team. Tua Tagovailoa will also have to take the next step and lead this team to new levels. Brian Flores and Chris Grier have made improvements to the team the last two years but will have to do more to reach a Super Bowl.