Health isn't only reason Dolphins could make big Tua Tagovailoa move after 2025 season

It's believed that the Miami Dolphins will move on from starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel if the team endures another disappointing season in 2025. 

The Athletic's Jacob Robinson explained on Wednesday why Tagovailoa's injury history isn't the only concern surrounding the 27-year-old entering September.

"Since 2023," Robinson wrote, "the Dolphins are 2-10 against teams that finished with a record above .500 (Tagovailoa started 11 of those 12 games, per TruMedia), while Miami’s ability to beat up on weaker opponents (17-5 against sub .500 teams in that timeframe) clouds their stats. ...Since McDaniel paired with Tagovailoa (in 2022), the Dolphins rank in the top four in both yards (376.9) and points (26.6) per game with their franchise quarterback healthy. However, when facing teams with a winning record since the start of 2023, they score 12.7 fewer points per game and allow 10.4 more points."

Miami signed Tagovailoa to a four-year, $212.4M deal last summer, even though the 2020 first-round draft pick failed to notch a single playoff win over his first four seasons. He then suffered his third reported concussion early in the 2024 campaign. That setback sidelined him for four games. 

Later, Tagovailoa missed the season's final two contests due to a hip injury. Miami ended the campaign with a record of 8-9. 

Meanwhile, McDaniel reportedly is on the hot seat because he hasn't yet guided the Dolphins to a postseason victory. David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel suspects the Dolphins could dismiss both McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier if Miami fails to secure at least one playoff win. 

History shows that new regimes often don't appreciate being associated with quarterbacks who haven't consistently demonstrated their ability to win on the biggest stages. Additionally, there's no reason anybody should assume Tagovailoa will be able to start 17 games. 

Tagovailoa and McDaniel can silence their critics when Miami opens the season at the Indianapolis Colts on Sept 7. As of Wednesday morning, ESPN Bet had the Dolphins as 1.5-point underdogs for that contest.