Miami Dolphins fans knew the 2025 season wasn't going to be as good as their own expectations. Deep down, they realized that the changes made to the roster before the season began left little hope for a return to 2023.
Chris Grier couldn't fix the roster during free agency because overspending had cost him critical cap space. Left with monetary restrictions, Grier bargain shopped while adjusting the roster with one-year contracts, and the hopes of building a team worth putting on the field.
All of it came down, however, to the play of Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel's ability to run an efficient offense. With three weeks left in the season, it's clear that Grier's attempts to build the roster served only to enhance the need to move on from his quarterback.
Miami Dolphins' makeshift roster was good enough to silence Tua Tagovailoa's supporters
In 2023, the Dolphins had one of the best offensive systems in the NFL, but late-season injuries that decimated the linebacker group proved to be too much for the offense to overcome. 2024 would be better.
The following season started the regression of Tagovaiiloa. Another early-season concussion took him off the field for four weeks, while a late-season hip injury ended the season early for him. The Dolphins were nothing like the team they were before.
It's important to look at those two seasons side-by-side. One filled with promises of something better, another filled with the agony and realization that nothing was changing. There was a commonality, though. Tagovailoa was the guy who was leading the team.
2025 started well enough. Grier and McDaniel sat at a podium and discussed the need for change inside the locker room, and change came. The Dolphins jettisoned problematic players and began building a team of players who wanted to be there.
The Dolphins' season was in the hands of Tagovailoa and the Mike McDaniel offense. Everyone believed the only issues the offense faced were the questions along the offensive line. The real problems were on the defensive side of the ball.
As expected, the season started out horribly. The defensive secondary was a mess, and the rookies playing on the defensive line weren't developing fast enough. The defense was holding the offense back. Then Tyreek Hill went down, and it all looked as though the season was over.
This is where the problems for Tagovailoa really began. No longer was he shouldering the responsibility of the offense and the team's success; it was becoming evident that he was part of the larger problems. As the season continued forward, the offensive line started to play better, the defensive line started to work together more coherently, and the secondary was nowhere near as bad as anyone thought.
All around Tagovailoa were signs of positive change, but the quarterback wasn't changing with them. It was becoming clear that all of the problems were not someone else's; they were the quarterbacks'.
The Dolphins started to play much better as the season continued, but Tagovailoa couldn't keep up. As the offense's production improved, Tagovailoa was the one player holding it back. McDaniel couldn't rely on him as much as he had in the past.
Miami was finding ways to win that didn't involve Tagovailoa leading them. Instead, they were winning in spite of his limitations.
What should have been a big year and an opportunity for Tagovailoa to show up and lead his team, shoulder them, and carry them when they needed him to, he failed. Not only did he become erratic and regress, but his lack of leadership and accountability also shone brighter than his 2-second throws.
The Dolphins failed to see this as potentially happening after the 2023 season, but the signs were there; now they will hurt this team for another year or more.
Tagovailoa's path to the NFL wasn't easy, but it is becoming clear that his exit from the league won't be nearly as difficult. This year, the ups and downs of the Dolphins roster proved that Tagovailoa was never going to grow as they did. Now, the quarterback is benched in favor of a rookie. It may have a lasting impact on the 2026 season as well.