Miami Dolphins: 10 most important players for the future of the franchise

Miami Dolphins’ important player #2: Tua Tagovailoa

This one gets its very own slide, mostly because I need enough room to explain myself to the Tua Haters.

Tua Tagovailoa is not the 2nd best player on the Dolphins. He might not even be the 12th. And there is an abundance of talking heads on Twitter and the like who will throw every reason in the book at you for why he isn’t the team’s long-term answer under center.

But when it comes to the future of the franchise, both immediate and long-term, having Tua prove the doubters wrong by becoming a top-12 quarterback would be the best-case scenario for the team and fans alike. And that is because of the Tagovailoa Backup Plan.

It is no secret that 2022 will be a “prove it” year for the third-year QB, both because of the offensive firepower now surrounding him and because of the trove of draft picks that the Dolphins own in next year’s draft. The Class of 2023 promises to be rich in quarterback prospects, and Miami has two first-round picks (and then some) if they so choose to move up and select one.

This would all happen in the event that Tua fails to lead the team to its expectations this coming year. But if he succeeds, and Miami is able to move forward with him as their franchise QB, then they’d be able to use that draft capital to build around him. Imagine adding two first-round talents to a roster already stocked with playmakers. Who would say no to that?

Truth be told, because of the reasons listed and the importance of the position he plays, I would have preferred to put Tua Tagovailoa in the number one spot on this list. But due to the amount of Tua Haters, as well as my own preference of not being called a Tua Stan when I simply root for the guy to succeed, I’m bumping him down the list a notch. I hope you’re happy.