Tua Tagovailoa made his NFL debut this past Sunday and went 2/2 with 9 yards. They’re not impressive numbers but what is impressive is that Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores and his coaching staff feel Tua is ready to take the reigns to the offense.
Today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that Tua would be Miami’s starting quarterback once the team returns to play after its bye week. The Dolphins will expect a lot from him, as will the fans. In college, Tua had some of the best weapons a quarterback could ask for in Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, Henry Ruggs, DeVonta Smith, and Najee Harris. Now, Tua is surrounded with talent that’s nowhere near the amount he had in college.
Currently, Miami’s top-targets are DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, and Miles Gaskin. Due to a significant drop-off in talent and his first start going up against a tough Los Angeles Rams defense, look for Tua to flop.
After the game against LA, the Dolphins have easier games lined up including a Week 9 game against Arizona and Week 12 matchup with their division rival, the New York Jets.
With a mix of many easy and hard games coming up, being the starter will be hard for Tua seeing as they are technically still in the playoff race being only one game out of first place. Tua Tagovailoa is used to the pressure of playing in the College Football Playoffs throughout his collegiate career. With ten games left to play, Miami needs to win at least six with Tua as the starter to earn a potential playoff birth.
Stat Projections
I expect Tua to throw for around 2,100 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions over the remaining ten games. Look for the Dolphins to throw heavy in the back half of most games due to being behind for the majority of the game. A 3:1 TD to INT ratio will put Tua Tagovailoa above most starting quarterbacks. By the end of the season, we won’t know whether or not Miami should have selected instead of Tua, although as of now, Herbert is doing a great job for the Chargers.
Tua is an up-and-coming prospect and will lead the dolphins to more wins taking them out of the running for a top-five pick.
