When the Miami Dolphins entered the 2020 NFL Draft, half of the fan base was pounding the table for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Brian Flores was pounding his fists for anyone but him, and six years into Tua's NFL career, it turns out Flores was probably right.
Tagovailoa reached a new low on Sunday against the Browns, something that didn't feel possible. The guy who stood in front of the media and threw his team under the bus last week was throwing the ball to the opposing team a week later.
The Dolphins bright future is pretty bleak, and Mike McDaniel may not be the only one whose career might be coming to an end in Miami.
Tua Tagovailoa isn't the leader or quarterback the Miami Dolphins need.
The Flores years were horrible for Tagovailoa. The former head coach took a similar approach with Tua that Bill Belichick took with Tom Brady, but that equation was busted from the start. Tua collapsed under the pressure and it showed in his game.
McDaniel changed the approach; he was softer, gentler, and designed an offense around the things the Dolphins quarterback did well. Now that isn't working. McDaniel doesn't know what to do, Tagovailoa is proving his game is limited, and Flores has to be sitting back with a big smile on his face.
The truth is, Flores was right about the Dolphins starting quarterback.
Miami has no choice but to keep him around unless someone offers them compensation and takes a chunk of the cap hit. Tagovailoa's contract doesn't flip to Miami's favor until after the 2026 season. If there was one thing Chris Grier got right, it was not restructuring his deal this offseason despite the needs of the roster.
Sunday was one of the worst games in Tagovailoa's career, and it goes beyond just having a bad day. Everything about him as an NFL quarterback should be questioned.
At this point, it might be smarter to sit the quarterback and let Quinn Ewers get the playing time he needs. This team is lost and broken, but maybe there is a future for someone else to lead; it's not Tagovailoa.