Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel may be joined at the proverbial hip, but which one is causing the other more harm than good?
When McDaniel took over the Dolphins, he immediately morphed Tagovailoa into the franchise quarterback everyone expected him to be, but that didn't last long. Whether due to injury or something else, the 2023 Tagovailoa did not show up in 2024, and has not shown up so far in 2025.
A lot of fans are pointing their fingers at McDaniel and Chris Grier, but of the three, McDaniel may be the one who doesn't deserve the hot seat.
Dolphins' Mike McDaniel can't run his offense with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback
When McDaniel was hired, there was no question that Grier made it clear he needed to work with Tagovailoa. The then-first-time head coach saw the opportunities he could have with a quarterback who was quick with his release and whose accuracy was among the best in the league.
McDaniel had to undo a lot of what Tagovailoa had learned, and it worked quickly, as he implemented a system that highlighted his strengths and minimized the exposure of his weaknesses. But there was a problem - a problem that McDaniel didn't see coming and can't change.
Tagovailoa has changed as a quarterback, but has he grown as one? Looking at the way McDaniel calls his offense, fans are wondering aloud on social media if there is more to this system that the head coach can't run because his quarterback isn't good enough to execute it.
The downfield throws are not happening as often this year so far. In part, defenses are taking away that opportunity. Deep throws take time, and the offensive line isn't holding their blocks long enough to let that develop, but Tagovailoa isn't getting the ball downfield when the opportunity presents itself.
Through three games, Tagovailoa's longest completion is 47 yards. It hasn't been that low since his rookie season, when, through 10 games, his longest was 35. His average yards per attempt has dropped to 6.5. His QB rating of 87.1 matches his rookie season, and his 191.7 yards per game are lower than in any other season except his rookie year. He has been sacked eight times already, but that raises a question.
Tagovailoa was hurt twice last season and missed a total of six games. He has publicly stated he needs to be more careful in and around the pocket. He isn't running the ball when given the chance, and he isn't moving out of the pocket as much as he has in the past as well.
Making this all more interesting is that, according to Next Gen-Stats, Tagovailoa's "average intended air yards" is just 6.7, which is seventh-worst among quarterbacks.
Consider that before the season began, Tagovailoa said Tyreek Hill's absence gave him an opportunity to improve his timing with the other receivers. However, through three weeks of the season, this improvement has not been evident on the field. Why is that?
Tagovailoa has admitted there are limitations to his game that other quarterbacks don't have. This has to be trying for a head coach whose complicated system ,which relies on recognition and intuition, isn't coming to fruition. There is a disconnect somewhere.
Fans want to blame McDaniel, but the more we watch, the more it becomes clear that Tagovailoa isn't giving him what he needs. McDaniels' system is being run the same way it has been since the day he arrived, and many believe that the growth of that system is being limited because Tagovailoa isn't growing with it.
This is important, if accurate. Defenses have figured out how to stop the Dolphins' offense because the offense is still operating the same as it has for the last three years. Why? Unless we believe McDaniel is incapable of change, we have to examine the quarterback and identify the limitations. If there are limitations, how can we place the blame on McDaniel?
McDaniel's most significant problem on offense may be expectations. If he believed the ceiling for Tagovailoa was higher and that he would evolve as a quarterback, he would have to assume that his playbook would also grow with the quarterback. Still, Tagovailoa hasn't reached another level, nor has McDaniel's offense.
It's easy to point the finger at the head coach, but the more we watch, it is becoming more of a question mark. Grier made it clear that Tagovailoa was going to remain the quarterback; McDaniel agreed and saw an opportunity to mold and shape the young QB into a great signal-caller. Tagovailoa, for whatever reasons known only to him, has yet to demonstrate that he can mature and grow, which would open the system to more than it currently is.