In 2025, the Miami Dolphins will have a leadership problem, and only one can step up and assume the roles of the previous leaders.
Miami lost Calais Campbell to the Arizona Cardinals and Terron Armstead to retirement. Both were vocal leaders in the locker room, the type of players who could call out others on the roster for not doing their jobs. They didn't need to be the pre-game cheerleaders; their presence was good enough.
That task now falls on the shoulders of the quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa tries to be a leader, but he often comes across as a guy who just wants to be liked and have some fun. That needs to change.
Dolphins need Tua Tagovailoa to fill the void left by Calais Campbell and Terron Armstead
The offseason is almost halfway through, but there have been plenty of videos surfacing of Tua partying hard on boats, in bars, and everywhere else he manages to find an escape. Some fans have focused on that being a problem.
No one should be bothered by what Tua does with his time away from football, but he needs to be ready to go when the season starts. He needs to be the guy who sets the standard the other players want to achieve.
There is a long offseason still ahead, but OTAs and minicamp are just around the corner.
The upcoming season is a significant one for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins. If Miami has another tough year, it could have a tough decision to make regarding the future of Tagovailoa, head coach Mike McDaniel, and general manager Chris Grier.
For now, Tua needs to have his fun, and fans shouldn't be too worried about it, but if he has a bad start to his season, the gloves will be off. Tagovailoa will find himself answering many more questions he doesn't like answering.