Miami Dolphins: Huge progress expected from Tua Tagovailoa in 2021

The Miami Dolphins have their starting quarterback, and significant improvements are expected of him by the time the 2021 season is in the books.

Tua Tagovailoa hand an up-and-down rookie season with the Miami Dolphins, with clear growing pains evident thanks to a number of mitigating factors – leading to veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick being called into action at times.

Returning from a serious hip injury, combined with a lack of a real pre-season and confidence with the Dolphins’ playbook all contributed to Tagovailoa looking every bit what he was in 2020 – a rookie.

There were moments where the former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback stunned the NFL, looking the part and showing real flashes of the player the Dolphins were hoping to be getting when they selected him fifth overall in the 2020 draft.

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But there were also times where Tagovailoa could not seem to figure opposing defenses out, could only pass the ball five yards, or just generally looked uncomfortable under center for the Dolphins.

The aforementioned lack of a pre-season, accompanied with a less-than-stellar support cast both at the receiver position and in the backfield, would have made life difficult for any rookie quarterback, but things will be different during Tagovailoa’s second year.

The Miami Dolphins have worked to address the deficits out wide, with the free-agent signing of Will Fuller V and the drafting of Tagovailoa’s former teammate at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle; both of whom look set to play big roles for the Dolphins alongside established starter DeVante Parker.

Behind those three, the Dolphins still have the cast from the 2020 season filling out the depth chart, with Lynn Bowden, Jakeem Grant, and Mack Hollins, along with the expected returns of Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns – both of whom sat out the year and should be fresh to compete for their spots this season.

Having a deeper group of receivers, with legitimate starting talent, should give Tagovailoa much more confidence with airing the ball and taking risks further down the field – something he has demonstrated an ability to do at times both in college at the NFL level.

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His offensive line has been reinforced, with strong returners in Solomon Kindley, Robert Hunt and Austin Jackson partnered alongside a potential new starter at right tackle, rookie Liam Eichenberg, which should help Tagovailoa feel more confident in the pocket and give him more time to make reads.

Tagovailoa has already been working hard this off-season to get ready for the new season, and having a full pre-season with the team, including pre-season games to experiment a bit and put his learning into practice in a ‘non-competitive’ way should also contribute to the quarterback’s progress this year.

Some quarterbacks, while having all the tools and the impressive college stats, need some time to settle into the NFL, and that could very well be the case with Tagovailoa. However, the work he is putting in, and the way his teammates talk about him, suggests that he will not just be another face in the long line that have attempted to fill the gap left by Dan Marino.

It’s difficult to truly say what Tagovailoa’s ceiling could be, but the work he has put in so far and all the contributing factors to being in a much better position to succeed should see him at the very least take some significant strides forward and establish himself as the unquestioned starter for the Miami Dolphins.