What should the Miami Dolphins do with QB Tua Tagovailoa?

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 31: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins throws a pass in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 31: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins throws a pass in the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 24: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins avoids a tackle during the third quarter in the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 24: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins avoids a tackle during the third quarter in the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Scenario 1: Miami Dolphins keep Tagovailoa and build around him through the draft and free agency

The first option is the most obvious one: Keep Tua Tagovailoa and build around him. The Dolphins have already spent a top-five on Tagovailoa; they might as well give him a third season to try to figure things out before parting ways. Regardless of who the Dolphins have at quarterback going forward, they are going to need to give him more help. The Dolphins are 1-7 right now; they are a lot more than a quarterback away from contending.

The Dolphins need to fix their offensive line 

Miami’s main priority should be to their offensive line. The unit ranks towards the bottom in just about every major category. Of The four linemen that have played 475 snaps for the Dolphins this season, they rank 51st, 70th, 72nd, and 73rd out of the 79 qualified players according to PFF’s grading system. This isn’t just a below-average line; this is a unit that has three of the ten lowest graded linemen in all of Football. It’s going to be hard for any quarterback to succeed in this situation, and the Dolphins should be willing to use serious assets, whether it’s through the draft or free agency to improve their interior and exterior linemen.

The Dolphins could also make some moves to improve their pass-catchers

Tagovailoa found success at Alabama with some of the best offensive playmakers in all of college football. Between Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, Devonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle, he had a plethora of options to throw to. Although Miami used this first-round pick last year to reunite Waddle with his college quarterback, they are still a long way from giving Tagovailoa a sufficient supporting cast.

The Dolphins have the draft capital and cap space to make some splash moves this offseason, and improving their offensive line and receivers will be beneficial to the team for years to come, whether they eventually make a quarterback switch or not.