I Don’t Think The Dolphins Would Be Better With Justin Herbert

He makes some big plays against the Kansas City Chiefs in the opener, including a big gain and a run to win the game, but in the last two weeks, he looks anything but good. He lost to the winless New York Giants and had two crushing turnovers in the loss, and couldn’t raise the level of his play.

Last week, his team led 10-0 early against the Washington Commanders, and then the offense couldn’t muster much, and they lost the lead and the game.

Now, some will say Herbert has lost his two starting offensive tackles and his top two running backs, which is true, but that’s when a quarterback needs to step up and carry the team with their will, and Herbert doesn’t do that.

Herbert is being coached up by Jim Harbaugh, a former quarterback, and maybe that will change eventually, but I’m not betting on it. 

Tagovailoa is who everyone said he was, an accurate, quick-release quarterback playing best on schedule. At Alabama, he had the best talent and coaching around him, but in the NFL, the quarterback needs to do more, and that’s not him.

His best seasons were in 2022 and 2023, when the Dolphins had Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle together, leaving teams unsure how to defend the offense. However, Tagovailoa was hurt in 2022 and missed games, including the playoff game, due to concussions.

In 2023, the Dolphins were peaking with a strong running game to complement their passing game and a good defense, plus Tagovailoa played every game for the first time in his career.

However, the Dolphins were decimated by injuries in the last month of the season on both sides of the ball, despite having a 3-game lead in the division. The team choked, losing the division and getting blown out in the wildcard game.

Tagovalioa didn’t raise his level of play, but he did help the Dolphins finish the season with a division title and a home-field game. In fact, he struggled.

Last season, he missed time due to another concussion and then a hip injury, and the team struggled and missed the playoffs. 

 Neither quarterback has played well in big games, and they raise their level of play late in the season, which is why I don’t think the Dolphins would be better off with Herbert. 

Sure, he probably would have played in more of those games, but I’m not sold they would have been better. A quarterback needs to raise their level of play when the team needs them most and carry them when the game is on the line late in the season and in the playoffs. This is something neither of these quarterbacks has done. 

Herbert will likely get a longer chance with Harbaugh and might be able to rewrite the narrative, but I’m not seeing it right now. Tagovailoa is likely to undergo a regime change and will probably want to bring in another quarterback. 

This debate about whether the Dolphins should have taken Herbert over Tagovalioa will continue on Sunday, but I personally don’t think it would make a difference.