The Dolphins narrowly missed a playoff berth last season at 10-6 and have higher aspirations for 2021. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be a big factor in whether or not Miami takes that next step.
Tagovailoa appears to have improved over the course of the offseason, drawing praise from teammates. On Wednesday, his head coach took note of that progress as the team continues its first week of OTAs.
“He’s definitely more comfortable. Has a better rapport with his teammates,” Brian Flores said, via Josh Tolentino of TheAthletic.com. “I’ve seen him ... with a better understanding of how we practice. We’ve seen that from him so far.
“Hopefully, he continues to grow and improve.”
Flores also credited Tagovailoa for getting receivers together to throw before the in-person voluntary work began at the Dolphins’ facility.
Tagovailoa didn’t have a poor rookie year, completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,814 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. The team was 6-3 in games Tagovailoa started, though now-Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick engineered one of those wins by replacing Tagovailoa in the second half of the matchup with Las Vegas.
Still, if Miami wants to make a deep playoff run, Tagovailoa will have to make the proverbial jump from Year 1 to Year 2.