Darren Waller said the sad truth out loud about Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa

The Miami Dolphins looked to be rolling a couple of years ago. Well, more or less. Head coach Mike McDaniel had dialed up an offense catered to quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's strengths, resulting in the NFL's No. 1 passing attack.

Unfortunately, that 2023 season and the back-to-back playoff appearances McDaniel manufactured to kick off his tenure feel like distant memories. Tua did struggle to beat the elite teams even when he was at his peak in Miami, but to be fair, he had concussion-related injury woes the likes of which the NFL has rarely seen.

And that's where the human element of football comes in. It's easy to kick Tua while he's down. I'm certainly guilty of criticizing him for his poor play in 2025. However, Dolphins tight end Darren Waller still believes Tua has the skill set to be a franchise QB — with one big caveat.

Darren Waller suggests trauma from Tua Tagovailoa's injuries has led to the Miami Dolphins QB's regression

In an interview on Johnny Manziel's Glory Daze podcast, both Johnny Football and Waller spoke glowingly about Tua.

Perhaps the most interesting part of that conversation topic was when Waller dove into the psychological side of things. He described how exceptional Tua looked in practice, only for it not to translate to game days. Waller believes it's more mental than physical as far as why Tua isn't playing to the level he did that netted him a $200+ million contract:

"When I showed up there in training camp, I'm watching this man throw darts. Every practice, bruh. I'd never seen the anticipation and the accuracy. What I think some of the disconnect comes from...I think there might be some trauma still stored in his body with what he's gone through with the head injuries and stuff."

"[...] I can notice him trying to make things happen in the game. He's trying to pull the trigger, but it's almost like his body and his system won't let him. I feel like if there's a way for him to find some healing in that regard, I think the skill set is definitely still there."

Waller cited the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D., in the midst of that commentary. It explores how trauma fundamentally changes the brain and the body, manifesting in physiological and psychological ways.

This would make a lot of sense. Think about all the disturbing scenes of Tua's injuries, concussions in particular, and how hard it must be not to think about that while you're on an NFL field.

Opposing defenses don't care in the moment about Tua's medical history. They're out there trying to get him to the ground by any means necessary. It's really sad when you take a step back and consider the pre-injury trajectory Tua was on, and what his career looks like now. It's possible he never gets a shot to start in the NFL again.

But all that said, pro football is a brutal, bottom-line business, and Tua wasn't getting it done in 2025.

The steep drop-off Tua experienced this season ultimately cost McDaniel his job. It's unlikely that the new head coach will want to keep Tua in 2026. Alas, the next-best option on the roster is seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers, who looked solid in three starts as a rookie but isn't some surefire long-term answer at the position.

Miami's move to hire longtime Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan as the new general manager suggests there's a plan to acquire Green Bay's Malik Willis in free agency. The new-look Dolphins could very well be a Cheeseheads South sort of outfit, especially if Sullivan hires, say, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as the head coach.

Whatever happens on the coaching search, it's really Willis or bust for the Fins at QB in 2026. This draft looks downright dreadful at the QB position outside of Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.

We'll see what the future holds for Tua. If Waller is indeed accurate with his remarks, you honestly just hope Tua finds peace of mind and heals as a person before considering his next football-related move.