Phin Phanatic
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Should the Miami Dolphins still be interested in “Tanking for Tua”?

By Thomas Santiago Jr

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 28: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs off the field after their 59-31 win over the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 28: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs off the field after their 59-31 win over the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Miami Dolphins have made a variety of moves this year that have gotten them accused of “tanking” the season for Tua Tagovailoa. Should they be?

The Miami Dolphins traded their best offensive lineman in left tackle Laremy Tunsil, along with their number one wide receiver in Kenny Stills, to the Houston Texans. The 11th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Minkah Fitzpatrick was shipped to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They also unloaded running back Kenyan Drake to the Arizona Cardinals. That’s four starters. So it’s no surprise why the Dolphins have received the “tanking” tag. However, what are they tanking FOR exactly?

Well, most fans believe that the organization is tanking for Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa. Rich Eisen of NFL Network stated that Tagovailoa “had the Dolphins at hello.” The Alabama junior was having another Heisman-worthy season when he sustained a season-ending hip injury in last week’s game at Mississippi State.

Many question if he should have even been in the game at that point but I am not here to discuss that. The question here is “should” the Dolphins still be interested in Tua Tagovailoa after this season-ending, serious injury that some say is similar to Bo Jackson’s career-ending injury in 1990.

Earlier in the season, after the Dolphins were blown out 59-10 at home against the Ravens and 43-0 at home against the Patriots, many thought the Dolphins were in line to have their “pick of the litter” when it came to QBs.

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However, now, after a win against the Jets in Miami and a very surprising win in Indianapolis against a good Colts team, the Dolphins sit 4th in line and might have to use some of that coveted draft capital they have attained to move up and get their guy. Should Tua Tagovailoa be that guy.

What are the other options? I’ll explore some from least to most exciting, in my opinion of course.

1. Jordan Love (Utah State)

Some mocks have the junior QB going in the first round. I don’t see it. He currently sits with a 61.7 completion percentage and a 13-14 TD to INT ratio. That’s not great for a guy who plays inferior competition to EVERY other QB on the list. He played current #1 team in the nation LSU as his 5th opponent of the season and went 15/30 for 130 yards, 0 TDs and 3 INTs. Sure, he makes some great throws but he is not ready to come in and start for the Dolphins. In fact, he should stay his senior season at Utah State and refine his game.

2. Jake Fromm (Georgia)

Fromm has been talked about since starting a freshman at Georgia. He’s 6’2″ 220 which is tall enough but not ideal for a pure thrower. The main problem with him has been his regression. Last year, as a sophomore, he posted up a 67.4 completion percentage with 30 TDs and 6 INTs. However, this year, he is only at a 64.8 completion rate so far with 16 TDs and 3 INTs. Where have all the TDs gone? I think he has some pro potential but his bad game against South Carolina in an upset loss was scary this season.

3. Jacob Eason (Washington)

Odd that I put Eason as a more exciting pickup considering he is at Washington because he lost his starting job at Georgia to none other than Jake Fromm. However, Eason has the measurables and shows the potential going forward. Eason is 6’7″ 227lbs and definitely has an NFL QBs frame. He, even after changing teams, has shown improvement this year. His freshman season at Georgia he had a 55.1 completion rate. 16 TDs and 8 INTs. This year, he has improved to 63.7 completion rate, 20 TDs and 7 INTs. With good coaching, he could be a find in the upcoming draft should he choose to enter it.

4. Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma)

Hurts, like Eason, lost his starting job. He lost his to the main subject of our question of the day, Tua Tagovailoa. He took his talents to Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners and it’s worked out very well for him. Hurts is the one true scrambling QB that will enter the draft this year. He will amass over 1,000 rushing yards this season to go with his current 73% completion rate, 28 TDs, and 5 INTs. He has dynamic athleticism and would be the tallest true scrambling QB in the NFL at 6’2″. The issue with taking him with a top-pick? You have to scheme your offense around a guy like this. Think something similar to what the Baltimore Ravens have done this season with Lamar Jackson. You have to let him be him. Which team is going to be willing to do that?

5. Justin Herbert (Oregon)

The senior Oregon Ducks QB has shown progression throughout his career and certainly has the frame of an NFL QB standing at 6’6″ 237lbs. Herbert has limited his mistakes this season, boasting a 28-3 TD to INT ratio. He has completed nearly 70% of his passes and has still received some questions on his accuracy. At times, he has thrown passes on a rope that are tough to catch up to and needs to put a little bit more air under the ball to give his receivers time to catch up to them. With solid support and coaching, Justin Herbert can be a very good starting QB in the NFL.

6. Joe Burrow (LSU)

The final and most obvious signal-caller to talk about in the upcoming draft is Joe Burrow. He is 6’4″ 216lbs which is definitely a good enough NFL QB frame. Burrow seemingly came out of nowhere this year as, last season, he only had a 57.8% completion rate with 16 TDs and 5 INTs at LSU. However, his progression hasn’t been easy. He was on an Ohio State team as a freshman and sophomore that also had Dwayne Haskins, JT Barrett, and Tate Martell. Haskins was the 15th overall pick this past draft and had won the job over Burrow causing him to transfer to LSU. Barrett went undrafted but got his shot, twice over, with the New Orleans Saints who cut him on October 22nd. Tate Martell also transferred. He went over to the Miami Hurricanes where he was beaten out for the starting job and decided to switch to wide receiver. This loaded QB room gave Burrow limited opportunities. However, this season at LSU, he has looked great. He is completing 78.6% of his passes and has thrown 38 TD passes and 6 INTs. It’s not like he hasn’t had his challenges either. He has played well in his biggest games. Against the 10th ranked Florida Gators at home, he was 21/24 for 293 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT en route to a 42-28 victory. His next test came in Tuscaloosa against Tua himself. He was 31/39 for 393 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT and won the game 46-41 on a day where the defense allowed Tua to throw for 4 TDs.

Choosing the right quarterback in the draft can be extremely difficult. Mitchell Trubisky was drafted at #1 overall, ahead of Pat Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. You just never know who the next superstar QB will be. So, I’ll pose this question: Why zero in on just one? Chances are, at this point, that Miami will NOT have their “pick of the litter” and may need to wait for the Cincinnati Bengals to select one of these esteemed signal-callers first. All we can do is hope that the Miami Dolphins do their due diligence in evaluating ALL of the possible options. Because, from Rich Eisen’s comments in September, (“(The Dolphins) have coveted Tua (Tagovailoa) — the first minute he looked off Georgia’s safety and threw a dart to beat Georgia in the National Championship Game coming off the bench. He had the Dolphins at hello.”), it has seemed like they have had some tunnel vision when it comes to the Alabama star. This injury is a serious one and should be looked at carefully.

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