The Miami Dolphins might not be ready to lavish Tua Tagovailoa with $50 million annually, but some executives around the league view him as a “nightmare” in the right situation.
“I feel like everybody knows what he is: A good player with some limitations,” a NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He’s a matchup nightmare some weeks. He’s really good when he’s in rhythm and gets the ball out in time. He can be hard to beat when he’s throwing with touch and anticipation.”
Tagovailoa led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards while throwing for 29 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in 2023. He set a career-high with a 69.3 completion percentage and had five different games of 300 or more passing yards.
The only problem: All five of those 300-yard games came in Miami’s first 10 contests. Tagovailoa was held under the 300-yard mark in the Dolphins’ last seven regular-season games and their playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs defense thwarted the Miami passing attack, with Tagovailoa throwing for just 199 yards and one touchdown against an interception on 39 pass attempts.
The Dolphins closed the season with three straight losses, with Tagovailoa throwing five picks in those games. Miami went 1-6 against playoff teams during the 2023 season.
While Tagovailoa’s record against elite teams is cause for concern, it’s tough to see how Miami could do any better at the quarterback position. It’s the responsibility of the front office to surround him with the type of team that can last deep into the playoffs on both sides of the ball.