Five Miami Dolphins training camp standouts primed for big years

Tua Tagovailoa

Here’s what it all rides on, and so far things look promising. It shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that Tua had an uneven rookie season. He was still recovering from a catastrophic hip injury during a COVID-altered off season. He was underprepared and overwhelmed, but he still had some promising moments. Does he deserve all the criticism levied his way? Absolutely not. But it was an underwhelming rookie campaign.

This is a different Tua Tagovailoa

https://twitter.com/i/status/1420839987055153153

His deep ball accuracy has been on display all camp and he has been laying it in bread baskets. Ignore the nonsense about his passes having “wobble.” The offseason strength and conditioning also seems to be paying off as he has noticeably more zip on most throws. He’s decisive, in rhythm, and confident. Exactly what we should be hoping for this time of year.

https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/1421249841951346693?s=20

There is also a noticeable difference in how Tua is carrying himself. It may seem inconsequential, but he’s answering questions with confidence. He’s talking to team mates and communicating his expectations for his receivers. This is Tua’s team and that’s something that we definitely couldn’t say this time last year.

"“Just being able to talk to the guys and tell them-not always what they want to hear-but what the need to hear and how we need to build on that… After practice I got to get everyone together and talk to the entire offense and just talk about our evaluation of the day.” -Tua Tagovailoa on being more assertive"

There’s no guarantee that all of this will translate to immediate success on the football field. He’s a second year quarterback in the NFL-it’s not going to be easy. Though, this is the kind of growth that fans, coaches, and players wanted to see from Tua. If he can continue to improve each day, Tua could be the answer Miami has been looking for.