Being the fifth overall pick in an NFL Draft comes with expectations. Being the face of college football and now the face of a franchise that hasn’t had a great quarterback since Hall of Famer Dan Marino can’t be easy. Additionally, having an offensive coordinator that doesn’t believe in you and won’t cater the offense to your strengths is borderline impossible to succeed with. To make matters worse, the Dolphins WRs, RBs and TEs were not just shallow in skill but also depth. Despite all these odds that were against Tua Tagovailoa, he still had a successful rookie year.
Tagovailoa started nine games for the Dolphins, ending with a 6-3 record and compiling 1,814 passing yards, 11 passing TDs, five INTs and three rushing TDs. These aren’t terrible numbers for a rookie who just came out of major surgery and had no off-season to train with his coaches and teammates due to a pandemic. Now, I fully believe that Tagovailoa can be one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL in 2021 due to a few changes that have occurred this off-season.
Off-season improvements
The Dolphins made it an emphasis to improve the offense surrounding Tagovailoa. Free agency and the NFL Draft were clearly used to improve the offense. Speed, size and strength were added to the team and have given the offensive team a chance to grow together.
NFL Draft
One of the best WRs in all of football, William Fuller V comes over from Houston one year deal. He’s had an injury plagued career, but last season, Fuller played in 11 games before he was suspended for PED use, knocking him out of the remaining five. In those games, Fuller had 879 yards and eight TDs. Fuller gives the Dolphins a solidified top-tier WR, and his speed should lift much weight off Tagovailoa’s shoulders.
Though the running back room has a lot of potential with Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, the Dolphins addressed needs within it by adding veteran Malcolm Brown from Los Angeles. Tagovailoa was one of the most pressured QBs in the NFL last season, and Brown’s ability will surely help the QB stay upright on passing downs.
The NFL Draft saw the Dolphins use five of their seven draft picks on the offensive side of the ball. Speedy WR Jaylen Waddle was brought to a reunion with his college QB in Tagovailoa. Waddle’s game-breaking, dynamic speed is going to make life a lot easier for the Dolphins. Liam Eichenberg was one of the best pass blockers in all of college football, giving up zero sacks in his last two seasons at Notre Dame. The Dolphins hope he can be Tua’s blindside protector at right tackle. Hunter Long had an amazing junior season, ending with the second most receiving yards at the tight end position in the entire NCAA. Long gives Tagovailoa a sure-handed weapon that can form a dynamic duo with Mike Gesicki.
Their offensive haul should bolster the performance of not just the offense in general, but Tagovailoa should be much improved due to better talent around him.
Pre-season performance
The numbers may not show it, but Tagovailoa looks like a completely new player. The same person that looked rattled in the pocket a year ago is now standing in the pocket, stepping up and hitting his pass-catchers. In his two pre-season games, Tagovailoa had 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The numbers don’t jump out at you, but he only played about three drives in each game. Additionally, just one of his top five receivers played in those games. When the regular season begins, he will have Fuller, Parker, Waddle and Albert Wilson at his disposal.
Every indication shows that Tagovailoa’s breakout is on the horizon. An improved offensive core, new play-callers and a more confident Tagovailoa should result in a breakout season for the second year QB. Only time will tell if Tagovailoa becomes the next big QB, but I firmly believe it will happen in 2021.
