Some outsiders believed in 2019 that the Dolphins were tanking for Tua. Some insiders now believe in 2021 that the Dolphins may be tanking with Tua.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports that multiple Dolphins have doubts about Tua Tagovailoa.
In response to last week’s claim from G.M. Chris Grier that Tua will be the starting quarterback in 2021, one unnamed player said: “I understand what they said. But I don’t understand why.”
Per Salguero, the three unnamed players said they hope Tagovailoa will improve, but they said that he wasn’t “outstanding” as a rookie.
Tagovailoa has a ceiling that he has yet to reach. Unfortunately for him, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert — taken one spot after Tagovailoa — passed the eyeball test immediately. To the trained eye, the gap between Herbert and Tagovailoa already is immense.
Complicating matters for Tua is the fact that, when the going got tough, his head coach turned to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
What will happen in 2021? Will there by a veteran who serves a relief pitcher in a league where almost every other quarterback throws a complete game, every week? Will Tua improve, or will he stagnate?
The Dolphins hold the third pick in the draft. They must evaluate all top quarterbacks, in the event that they may be able to trade the selection to a team that wants to draft one. Maybe, in that process, they’ll decide that a much better quarterback than the one they have could be available at No. 3.
That could precisely be what the Dolphins do. Even if they’re thinking about a potential upgrade, there’s no reason at all to declare those intentions now.