Former Dolphins OT reveals what Tua Tagovailoa 'has to understand' as NFL QB

Offensive tackle Terron Armstead spent the last three seasons of his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins before he announced his retirement back in April. 

During a Tuesday appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," Armstead spoke openly about how the Dolphins were without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on handfuls of occasions during the 2022 and 2024 campaigns. 

"He plays the game with such love for the game. He’s such a fierce competitor," Armstead said about Tagovailoa, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "He is willing to put his body on the line in any situation. But he has to understand — and I think he’s starting to understand — his value is deeper than any one play or any one game. Him being out of the lineup changes the franchise — it does. It changes the identity of the offense. It changes the franchise. So, I believe that he has to play the game with that in mind, as opposed to, 'Let me do whatever I need to do to get this first down.' That first down is not nearly as valuable as him being there the next series."

Earlier in June, Tagovailoa suggested that he had used portions of springtime workouts to shift his "mindset" regarding "when is the time to give up on a play." The 27-year-old who signed a four-year, $212.4M deal last summer was sidelined for four games this past season after he suffered his third reported concussion since the fall of 2022. A hip injury later caused him to miss the campaign's final two contests.

Tagovailoa did manage to make 17 starts en route to helping the 2023 Dolphins reach the playoffs. That said, Bill Barnwell of ESPN noted in January 2024 that the Dolphins went 1-6 and averaged 15.1 points per game on offense versus teams with winning records during that season.

Tagovailoa's concerning injury history and the fact that he has yet to notch a postseason win continue to hover over the Dolphins this summer. 

"He has narratives in front of him that have to be answered," Armstead added about Tagovailoa. "Not necessarily by me or in an interview form, it’s from him, and his play and getting the job done. Any quarterback or any team that [doesn’t] hoist that trophy at the end of the year, you have questions, you have narratives, you have challenges, you have adversity, you have things to answer. ...Tua has his questions, and it’s up to him to answer these question — not me. Do I believe he can? I do. Do I believe he will? I do."

Rumors surfaced this past spring claiming that Miami could part ways with at least head coach Mike McDaniel in January 2026 if he finishes a fourth season in charge without a single playoff victory on his resume. One wonders if a new regime would look to immediately move on from Tagovailoa as part of a franchise rebuild.