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NFL Sophomore Watch: Tua Tagovailoa might be traded

By Andrew Fischer

Oct 17, 2021; London, England, United Kingdom; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws the ball in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2021; London, England, United Kingdom; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws the ball in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars during an NFL International Series game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 21, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) drops back with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 21, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) drops back with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

In Miami

Ryan Fitzpatrick was the starter to begin the 2020 season for the Miami Dolphins. He was 37 years old and on his 8th team at the start of last season. Fitzpatrick has a reputation as a “bridge” quarterback where he can be a team’s placeholder until they find their next franchise quarterback.

Tua Tagovailoa saw brief game action at the end of a week 6 contest against the Jets and started his first game in a week 8 showdown with the Los Angeles Rams. Some veterans on the team were surprised that he was handed the reins that early. And thus began a tumultuous rookie season for Tagovailoa as he made 9 starts, going 6-3 in those games. He was benched in week 11 against the Bengals and missed a week 12 game with a jammed thumb. In week 16 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Tua Tagovailoa was benched again as Ryan Fitzpatrick completed a deep pass while being face-masked and led the Dolphins to an improbable last-second comeback win.

The final numbers on Tua Tagovailoa’s rookie season weren’t terrible on the surface. He finished with 1,814 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He also ran for 3 touchdowns. But the concerning number is his paltry 6.3 yards per pass attempt. And that little number was indicative of a coaching staff’s feelings towards their potential franchise QB.

Many who watched Tua Tagovailoa last year would say that he was handled with kid gloves. He got the Mitchell Trubisky treatment. What that means is that the coaching staff wouldn’t put a lot on his plate. They wouldn’t ask him to do too much. Whether they didn’t trust him or wanted to protect his confidence isn’t exactly clear, but it’s generally a bad sign when a QB’s own coaching staff doesn’t want to put the game in his hands. If that wasn’t damning enough, some of Tagovailoa’s teammates offered some less than flattering anonymous quotes this offseason, expressing hesitancy that he could be “the guy” for Miami.

Dolphins GM Chris Grier stated that Tua Tagovailoa was slated to be the starter in 2021. One Dolphins player in reference to that fact commented, “I understand what they said. I don’t understand why.” Miami Herald reporter Armando Salguero reported that multiple Dolphins players are “not convinced that Tagovailoa is going to be great in the future.” When comparing Tagovailoa to elite AFC quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, they don’t really feel there is a comparison. Referring to Allen and Mahomes, one defensive player offered this: “Those are the boys we got to beat right? It looks right now like that’s going to be a big challenge.”

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