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Retired Dolphins Pro Bowler Compares Tua Tagovailoa to Drew Brees

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nelson Hubbell | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 11:30 AM ET

Star left tackle Terron Armstead retired this offseason after 12 seasons in the NFL, his first nine with the New Orleans Saints and final three with the Miami Dolphins. Armstead protected NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees for most of his tenure in the league before joining the Dolphins to finish out his career.

Now, Armstead is comparing former Dolphins teammate Tua Tagovailoa to the future Hall of Famer on the Rich Eisen Show, where he explained what characteristics he sees in the two.

"I see similarities,” Armstead said. The anticipation, the accuracy, timing of throws, the ability to knock a wing off a fly repeatedly. Those guys throw darts. They don’t throw to areas, they are very precise. And that’s an elite talent, it’s an elite trait very few people possess."

Armstead pointed to Brees' injury history early in his career as a similarity to Tagovailoa. Brees was recovering from shoulder surgery heading into his sixth season, while Tagovailoa is coming off a season marred by another concussion and hip surgery.

After five seasons, both players reached one Pro Bowl, but Brees was not yet viewed as a Hall of Fame player, and the Dolphins' star is definitely not there yet either.

Armstead made sure to be clear that he was just pointing out similarities between two of his former quarterbacks.

"I’m not saying they’re the same player or same person, no two people are," Armstead said.

This is an extremely important season for Tagovailoa and his head coach, Mike McDaniel, who have fallen short of expectations in recent years. If Armstead's comparison is correct, Tagovailoa could be in for a big season in 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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