Thanks to some elite galaxy-braining by Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who somehow decided taking a knee at the one-yard-line was preferable to scoring a touchdown in Saturday’s stunning collapse, the Dolphins are a win away from securing their first postseason berth in four years. That should be a cause for celebration, but with rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa looking ill-equipped to lead the offense (head coach Brian Flores has benched him for veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in two of the last five games), the Dolphins enter the new year with significant uncertainty at arguably the most important position in all of sports.
Under normal circumstances, Tagovailoa would be given a grace period, allowing him to work through his struggles while weathering the usual early-career growing pains. But with the Fins expected to net a top-five selection in next year’s draft (which Miami received from Houston in last year’s Laremy Tunsil trade), Tua may not have that luxury.
The way it stands now, the Dolphins would hold the third overall pick in 2021, allowing Miami to potentially land a top quarterback prospect like Ohio State’s Justin Fields or BYU standout Zach Wilson. ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum, a former executive in the Dolphins’ organization, indicated Miami would be among several teams interested in Fields, depending on how he performs in the upcoming Sugar Bowl versus second-ranked Clemson.
It seems early to give up on Tua, who has started all of eight games since supplanting Fitzpatrick as the Fins’ starter and is still recovering from a dislocated hip suffered in 2019, an injury that effectively ended his college career at Alabama. However, in recent years, teams have grown increasingly impatient in waiting for their quarterbacks to develop, as evidenced by Arizona’s selection of Heisman winner Kyler Murray in 2019, which came a year after the Cards spent a top-ten pick on Josh Rosen. Washington was also quick to throw in the towel on first-rounder Dwayne Haskins, though obviously his self-destructive tendencies accelerated that process.
Tagovailoa, by all accounts, has been a model citizen in Miami and is well-liked by coaches and teammates. And though his on-field skill set is somewhat limited—the southpaw has largely served as a game manager for Miami—the 22-year-old still boasts an impressive 10-to-2 touchdown to interception ratio with a respectable 65.1 completion percentage and three rushing touchdowns. More importantly, the Dolphins have won all but two of his starts.
Whether Tagovailoa’s recent struggles are the product of inexperience, a middling receiver corps or Fitzpatrick peering over his shoulder, Flores certainly has reason to be skeptical of Tua’s long-term prospects. If the Dolphins were in a position to draft Trevor Lawrence, a player universally regarded as a future NFL superstar, this wouldn’t even be a debate. But would Fields, a similarly raw talent who has contributed more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (four) over his last three games, actually be an upgrade on Tagovailoa? That’s for Miami’s front office to decide.
Of course, this would all be a moot point if the Jets decide to address their quarterback need by choosing Fields second overall, as many suspect that they will. Regardless, the Dolphins—and Tua in particular—will have plenty riding on Sunday’s game at Buffalo.
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