Qb Review: Tua Tagovailoa gets the win, but still needs help
By Nick Belotto
Week 18 arrived for the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa and with the Dolphins eliminated from the post season, this is our final QB review.
The Miami Dolphin’s 2021-2022 season came to an end on Sunday with a huge divisional win against the New England patriots. Unfortunately, this win comes with another playoff-less run but winning against the Patriots should always put a smile on the face of the Dolphin fan.
As the Dolphins go into another offseason looking for answers, the goal will be to evaluate the state of the team and identify the weaknesses that need to be addressed throughout free agency and the draft. Units like the offensive line and wide receiver corp, outside of Jaylen Waddle, should be towards the top of that list, but the conversation all off-season long will be about whether or not Tua Tagovailoa is good enough to get this team back to the playoffs.
On Sunday, Tagovailoa finished with a mediocre stat line, goin 15 for 22 for 109 yards and a touchdown (stats courtesy of ESPN.com). These numbers are not great, but he did enough for the team to win, even though the offense stalled often and, once again, couldn’t generate touchdowns and settled for field goals.
There wasn’t a lot that really jumped out at me in either a good or bad way about Tua’s performance in this one (outside of that great run on 3rd down which was nice to see). He looked good enough in the pocket and significantly better than he did in Tennessee.
But, the offense still struggled. Had the defense not done more than its part, the result would have been significantly different, which means this offense needs to get fixed in the offseason.
Though the Dolphins won in this one and Tua Tagovailoa played decent football, questions still remain about the future of this offense the way it’s built.
I think Tua has done enough to earn a fair shot at being the full time, un-questioned starter for this team. He helped turn the season around and his play was very good for the majority of the time that he was out there. Miami needs to stop engaging in Deshaun Watson conversations and give him the chance to play with a quality team around him.
With the recent firing of Brian Flores, the Dolphins should prioritize a coach that can help Tua develop into a great starting quarterback and should prioritize giving him weapons and more importantly blocking to help him reach his potential.
There is no denying that Tua has his limits (his deep ball, his arm strength, etc.). Yet, Ryan Tannehill did too, and look at the top of the AFC standings. Tua needs help on this offense, and if Miami doesn’t do something to give him a fair shot, the Dolphins will be in quarterback purgatory for the next 5 years.
Week 17 QB Grade: C+
2021 Season Grade: B