Tua Tagovailoa Looks Terrible, Time For Dolphins To Panic?
Tua Tagovailoa has not looked good thus far in training camp. When the Miami Dolphins selected him with the fifth overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, many wondered if he would push Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting role.
Now there are serious questions regarding whether he can even beat out Josh Rosen for the backup spot.
Tua picked off by Rowe in today’s scrimmage. Rosen and Tua both had an interception but Rosen had the lone TD pass today. https://t.co/Bz5rhIo6as
— Anna Logan (@Annaraelogan) August 29, 2020
Tua said his play in scrimmage – resulting in two FGs in 7 1/2 series – “wasn’t to where I want it to be.” He said he was hoping to finish Fins’ 15th & final series, but coaches subbed in bunch of players, including Rosen. Neither Tua nor Rosen has clearly outperformed the other
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 29, 2020
There wasn’t a ton to glean from practice today but we did see Tua Tagovailoa break out for a nice 25-yard run once a play broke down. He looked fluid, mobile and healthy. That being said, defenders were very careful not to get too close… ya know job security is important.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) August 26, 2020
By all accounts, even with Miami defenders doing their best not to injure their highly-prized new rookie, Tagovailoa still is not accomplishing much of note.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals simply can’t get enough of Joe Burrow. Not only did he easily win the starting spot – he is killing it in training camp. Everyone is blown away.
NBA ratings noticeably declined after last week’s stoppage. https://t.co/DzvGJoEOjh
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 2, 2020
Coming of Alabama, Tagovailoa’s health was obviously a big question mark. Between draft day and the start of training camp, the Dolphins repeatedly stated that their young quarterback was healthy.
This week, head coach Brian Flores suggested that although Tagovailoa was technically healthy, injury concerns are always at the forefront of the organization’s mind.
“That is definitely part of the conversation, for sure,” he said recently.
“We’re at 10 months. It was a pretty serious injury. He looks good, though. . . . He’s healthy. He’s moving around to his right and to his left. But yes, that’s part of the conversation.”
It’s hard not to wonder if this renewed talk about Tagovailoa’s health isn’t simply the byproduct of his on-field production not living up to expectations.
Leading up to the draft, particularly as it got closer and closer, Dolphins insiders admitted that there was a lot of back and forth within the organization regarding the Tagovailoa pick. Although he had been linked to the franchise for two years, he came with a decent amount of question marks.
Drugs are not cheap. https://t.co/lZhVrF0bbM
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 1, 2020
The team took a very close look at Justin Herbert out of Oregon and Jordan Love out of Utah State before ultimately settling for Tagovailoa.
Now, to be clear – neither Herbert nor Love have done anything in training camp to make themselves look significantly better than Tagovailoa. All three have been largely unimpressive.
But the early conversations surrounding Tagovailoa compared him to Burrow, not the other quarterbacks taken in the first round.
For now at least, those comparisons can end.
Tagovailoa will have ample opportunity to improve and prove the critics wrong as time goes on. It is a long season and the Dolphins’ other quarterbacks will make him look appealing by default.
At some point, however, he is going to need to start delivering on the field. If he doesn’t, things will get very panicky very quickly in Miami.
Related: Saints Trading Alvin Kamara To Patriots Or Dolphins?
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
