All Eyes on Tua

By Michael Rifkin

The 2020 Miami Dolphins season ended with a bad taste in their mouth. In Week 17, all the Dolphins had to do was win, and they would make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Miami went into Buffalo and got manhandled 56-26. The primary story that came with that defeat was rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who went 35/58 for 361 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in the game. Is he the solution as the Dolphins franchise quarterback? Tagovailoa, the fifth overall pick from Alabama, was six and three as the Dolphins starter had a 64.1 completion percentage, 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Tua had a significant hip injury in Alabama. But the thing that people will remember about Tua was the week 17 performance after being pulled in week 16 in favor of veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick who was unavailable in week 17 due to Covid. All offseason long, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier said they believe in Tua and are their guy. This offseason, they showed that by drafting Tua’s former teammate in Alabama Jaylen Waddle in the first round of the NFL Draft, and they signed veteran wide receiver Will Fuller to a one-year contract.

The major storyline in training camp on defense was cornerback Xavien Howard who wanted a new contract, even though he signed a five-year 75 million dollar deal in 2019. The Dolphins front office was able to come to a deal with the star corner who last season led the NFL with ten interceptions and finished third in defensive player of the year voting behind Rams Aaron Donald and the Steelers T.J. Watt. Playing Xavien Howard across from 2020 offseason splash Byron Jones gives Miami one of the best corner tandems in the league. Miami’s defense was the reason they were as competitive as they were in 2020 and the reason they won 10 games. They are a very opportunistic defense as they were third in the league in turnover differential at a +9. In the first round, they added to their pass rush by drafting Jaelan Phillips, who was viewed as one of the premier pass rushers in the draft and played at the University of Miami.

The Dolphins front office is not afraid to make a big trade, which is why this season is all about Tua. If Tua has a tremendous year, the Dolphins may have found their solution at quarterback, which they haven’t had since Dan Marino retired. The 2021 season is all about Tua and his development.