Dolphins teammates question Tua Tagovailoa’s abilities

The Miami Dolphins don’t seem to have coalesced around Tua Tagovailoa as the franchise’s quarterback of the future.

According to a report from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, numerous players on the roster have been unimpressed with Tagovailoa ever since training camp. Their frustration with the former Alabama standout was then compounded when head coach Brian Flores inexplicably inserted him into the starting lineup despite Ryan Fitzpatrick playing some of the best football of his career.

[The players] said they were unimpressed by Tagovailoa during training camp to the point they thought he wouldn’t be ready to play in 2020, the Miami Herald noted. They said they were ‘caught totally off guard,’ as one put it, when Tagovailoa was named the starter the seventh game of the season.

Moreover, “another [player] said that before the season finale when players were informed by Flores that Ryan Fitzpatrick would not be available against the Buffalo Bills, he was disappointed because he believes Fitzpatrick was better than Tagovailoa.”

The aforementioned players were right to be concerned. Tagovailoa finished that Buffalo game 35-of-58 for 361 yards and three interceptions. The Dolphins ended up getting blown out 56-26 — ending what at times seemed to be a very promising season in extremely disappointing fashion.

These players who complained to the Miami Herald about Tagovailoa did so anonymously, primarily because they believed their coaches would be angry with any sort of public displays of frustration.

All the players agreed Tagovailoa was a great human being, describing him as “humble” and “quiet” and “a competitor.” That said, they simply don’t view him as a capable NFL starter yet.

“The players also say they don’t see a special trait in Tagovailoa’s skill set beyond his accuracy,” the Miami Herald continued.

One defensive player said he isn’t impressed with Tagovailoa’s ball velocity or arm strength or ability to make off-schedule plays with his legs. So he ultimately questions whether Tagovailoa will ever be able to match the feats of other quarterbacks in the AFC such as Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson.

Complicating this matter further is the fact that Miami has the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, via the Houston Texans. Presumably the Dolphins could use it to draft another quarterback or utilize it in a package for Deshaun Watson.

To date, Dolphins brass has been steadfast in the desire to continue building around Tagovailoa. The company line, at the moment, is that he is and will continue to be the quarterback of the future.

That said – at a certain point you have to start listening to your other players. And if Tagovailoa evokes this little confidence from his teammates, Miami would be wise to address the issue sooner rather than later.