One of the most highly talked about players in the NFL is Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Whether it was his ukulele playing, his game on the field or trade talks, people always seem to have Tua’s name in their mouth.
In the 2020 NFL Draft, it was seen as a three-quarterback race, consisting of LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua and Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Of the three teams that were rumored to be selecting quarterbacks, Cincinatti, Miami and Los Angeles, the Dolphins were clearly the worst landing spot. Cincinatti and LA both had an elite, veteran wide receiver to help take their rookie quarterbacks under their wing in AJ Green and Keenan Allen. They each had a Pro Bowl running back too, in Joe Mixon and Austin Ekeler. Herbert and Burrow are two of the brightest stars at quarterback and many seem to think Tua is the odd man out, but when one looks closer, they can see it isn’t all on him.
The Dolphins have the third worst rushing offense in the NFL, rushing for just 1373 yards in 16 games. Free agent signing Will Fuller V was signed to be the Dolphins No. 1 receiver. The oft-injured Fuller played just six quarters with the team, none of which came with Tua, and has been out since Week 3. As mentioned before, PFF ranked Miami as the worst pass protection team in the NFL. He doesn’t have the weapons that Burrow and Herbert have, either.
After all these struggles, some upset players still find the need to come after him for some reason.
The Dolphins beat the New York Jets by a score of 24-17 in Week 11. After getting diced up for 273 yards and two touchdowns by Tua, Jets defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers had the audacity to come after Tua’s game. Franklin-Myers said that Tua threw up “prayers” and that sometimes, “prayers are answered.” One of Tua’s touchdowns was a 65-yard touchdown to Mack Hollins, his longest of the season. Clearly, someone is upset that they had no sacks against the worst pass blocking team in the NFL, according to PFF.
During the Dolphins’ Week 14 win against the New York Giants, Tua had 244 yards in the air and a pair of touchdowns. After the game, Giants defensive back Logan Ryan was asked about being the emergency quarterback due to a myriad of injuries to the Giants quarterback depth. His answer was, “I’m a lot like Tua, I can throw two-yard passes to the left.” Dolphins’ wide receiver DeVante Parker came to the defense of his quarterback, telling Ryan to “Hold that L boi keep quiet,” in an Instagram comment. For someone who plays defensive back and has zero interceptions in a 17-game season, Ryan sure does talk a lot.
What is it about these New York players? Why do they feel the need to come after his game, especially after losing to him? While I agree that Tua’s play has been disappointing compared to how great his fellow draftees in Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert have been, the second-year quarterback has played some decent football with all things considered.
In the games against Franklin-Myers’ Jets and Ryan’s Giants, Tua threw for 517 yards and four touchdowns while completing 77% of his passes. After losing to a quarterback who throws up “prayers” and “two-yard passes,” these players should hold their L, as Parker says, and move on.
