Tua vs. Tyreek: Who is the Miami Dolphins offensive MVP?

How the winner was chosen

“Value” is a subjective term sometimes, especially in sports. You ask 10 sports fans “what makes someone the most valuable player?” and you’ll probably get 10 different responses. What went into this rendition of the award process was weighing Hill’s gaudy numbers and availability versus how the offense struggles in Tagovailoa’s absence.

Tagovailoa going in and out of concussion protocol negatively impacted the trajectory of the Dolphins’ season. If he’s healthy against the Vikings in Week 6, the Dolphins likely win that one. Same with the Patriots in Week 17 and even against the Bills in the Wild Card round. If Skylar Thompson was almost able to pull the upset on the road in Buffalo, why couldn’t Tagovailoa?

And the winner is …

By a narrow margin, Tagovailoa is the offensive MVP for the Miami Dolphins. Again, the question posed is about the value a player brings to the team, not just who’s the best or who put up the best numbers. When Tagovailoa was healthy, the Dolphins’ offense was one of the best in the NFL. When he was out of the game, the Dolphins’ offense crashed back down to earth in a big way.

The case for Tagovailoa can be made with the last three games of the season as evidence. In the final two regular season games, Hill caught six passes for 78 and no touchdowns, and the Dolphins lost both games. It may seem like splitting hairs, but the old cliché of “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” rings true here. Tagovailoa’s value was evident both when he was available and when he was not.